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Isolated anti-HBc in chronic hepatitis C predicts a poor response to
interferon treatment.
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J Med Virol 2001 Dec;65(4):681-687
Sagnelli E, Coppola N, Scolastico C, Mogavero AR, Stanzione M, Filippini P,
Felaco FM, Piccinino F
Institute of Infectious Diseases, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy.
The sustained response to interferon-alpha treatment was evaluated in 147
anti-HCV/HCV-RNA-positive, HBsAg-negative, chronic hepatitis patients,
according to HCV genotypes and the presence or absence of anti-HBs and
anti-HBc. These patients had been included in a controlled study on the
safety, tolerability, and efficacy of three types of interferon-alpha given
at a dose of 3 MU three times weekly for 52 weeks. One hundred and two
patients had HCV genotype 1, 42 a non-1 HCV genotype and 3 multiple HCV
genotypes; 46 were anti-HBs and anti-HBc negative (group A), 50 anti-HBs and
anti-HBc positive (group B), and 51 anti-HBs negative and anti-HBc positive
("isolated" anti-HBc, group C). Serum HBV-DNA was detected by
polymerase chain reaction in 15 of the 51 (29.4%) patients in group C and in
none of those in groups A or B. The Sustained Response rate was higher in
patients with a non-1 HCV genotype than those with HCV genotype 1 (31% vs.
17.7%, P > 0.1). Fewer patients in group C showed a sustained response than
in group A or group B (7.8% vs. 30.4%, P = 0.009 and 7.8% vs 28%, P = 0.017,
respectively). Moreover, the sustained response rate was high in patients
with a non-1 genotype, both in group A (42.8%) and in group B (42.8%),
intermediate in patients with HCV genotype 1 (23.3% in group A and 22.2% in
group B) and low in group C, irrespective of HCV genotype (8.3% for genotype
1 and 7.1% for other genotypes). The data (suggests) indicate that patients
with HCV chronic hepatitis and isolated anti-HBc show a poor response to
IFN-alpha, irrespective of the HCV genotype.
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