One year follow-up of patients treated with misoprostol in acute phase of viral hepatitis B.

ABSTRACT

The study was undertaken to determine the long-term effect of misoprostol, on hepatitis B virus (HBV) elimination in patients treated during acute phase of viral hepatitis B. Forty male patients were evaluated 12 months after treatment with misoprostol (M-group) or sylimarin (S-group). HBsAg clearance, as an indicator of HBV elimination, and serum bilirubin concentration, prothrombin index, and activities of alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, alkaline phosphatase as well as gamma glutamyltranspeptidase were analysed. At the end of treatment phase, improvement of liver function demonstrated through these biochemical indices was faster in M-group. After 12 months of follow-up HBsAg was cleared in all misoprostol treated patients and in 85% among S-group. Moreover misoprostol treatment resulted with normalization of bilirubin concentration and enzymes activity in all patients. Two among sylimarin treated patients (both HBsAg positive), had transaminases activities elevated over 100 U/l, that resulted with significantly higher values than in M-group. These results confirm beneficial effect of misoprostol treatment in patients with liver injury, but promising effect on HBV clearance should be confirmed in a study involving more patients.