[Interferon alpha, gamma, omega before and during treatment of chronic hepatitis C with pegylated interferon alpha and ribavirin]. / Interferony alfa, gamma i omega przed oraz w trakcie leczenia przewleklego wirusowego zapalenia watroby typu C pegylowanym interferonem alfa z rybawiryna.

AIM OF THE STUDY: assessment of interferon alpha, gamma, omega concentrations in patients with chronic hepatitis C before and during antiviral treatment and comparison of these parameters between chronically infected HCV and healthy individuals (control group). METHODS: IFN alpha, gamma, omega concentrations were measured before and in 2, 12, 48 week during antiviral therapy in patients with chronic HCV infection treated with PegIFN plus ribavirin and in 30 cases of healthy individuals of control group. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences in IFN alpha concentrations at different times of investigation in patients with chronic hepatitis C and in IFN alpha and omega concentrations in comparison to results obtained in control group and in patients before treatment were found. Concentrations of IFN gamma in 48 week and omega in "0" and 2 week of the treatment were higher in patients with GI,G2 than with G3. There were no statistically significant differences in IFN alpha, gamma, omega concentrations between patients with good or bad response to antiviral treatment at EVR, ETR, SVR and between patients with shorter or longer than 10 years of HCV infection. CONCLUSION: 1. IFN alpha was no detected in healthy individuals but was detected in 34% of patients with chronic hepatitis C. 2. IFN omega was present in each case from control group but only in less than 50% of chronically infected with HCV. 3. There was no correlation in IFN alpha, gamma and omega concentrations with efficacy of antiviral treatment.

[Peginterferon alpha-2b in patients with chronic hepatitis C]. / Pegylowany intefeon alpha-62b i rybawiyna w leczen przewlekllego wirusoweg zapalenia watroby typu C.

150 adult patients were assigned pegylated interferon alpha-2b (once weekly 1.5 microg/kg) plus ribavirin (800-1200 mg depending on bodyweight). The treatment lasted 52 weeks and was completed by 139 persons (92.7%). Because of adverse events the treatment was interrupted in 7 persons, 4 other persons resigned. Periodical reduction of pegylated interferon doses was necessary in 19% and the reduction of ribavirin in 21% of patients. Six months after the completion of treatment HCV-RNA was negative in 82 (59%) patients. Neither hepatitis C virus genotype, nor viremia was marked in the study. The negative correlation between the degree of fibrosis in the liver tissue and the results of sustained virological response was stated. Degree of inflammation at liver tissue, sex, age over and less than 40 years did not correlate with the final virological results. The recurrence of infection happened at 7% of the treated persons (negative HCV-RNA directly after the treatment--positive 6 months after the completion). During the treatment period, and comparison with the results obtained before its implementation, statistically significantly decreased: hemoglobin concentration, the number of leukocytes, granulocytes and thrombocytes. They returned to the referential values half a year after the completion of treatment. The activity of enzymes (AIAT, AspAT, GGTP) was decreasing statistically significantly since the first weeks of the treatment till the end and remained significantly lower after 6 months. In both sexes statistically significant reduction of bodyweight was stated, while it increased during the six months after the completion of treatment. Adverse events, which mostly were mild and were not the cause of interruption of treatment, were numerous and occurred at different frequency, in the range from over 50% (flu-like) to 0.7%.