Autoantibodies before, during and after administration of recombinant interferon-alpha for chronic viral hepatitis

This study was undertaken to investigate the presence of autoantibodies in patients with chronic viral hepatitis B and C, before, during and after interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) therapy and to study their relation to dose and type of IFN-alpha and response to treatment. Fifty patients with chronic hep...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Lopes, Edmundo P.a. [UNIFESP], Silva, Antonio Eduardo Benedito [UNIFESP], Sette Junior, Hoel, Guimarães, Rubens X. [UNIFESP], Ferraz, Maria Lucia Cardoso Gomes [UNIFESP]
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:1995
País:Brasil
Institución:Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)
Repositorio:Repositório Institucional da UNIFESP
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.unifesp.br:11600/397
Acceso en línea:http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0036-46651995000500012
http://repositorio.unifesp.br/handle/11600/397
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Viral hepatitis
Autoantibodies
Interferon-alpha
Descripción
Sumario:This study was undertaken to investigate the presence of autoantibodies in patients with chronic viral hepatitis B and C, before, during and after interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) therapy and to study their relation to dose and type of IFN-alpha and response to treatment. Fifty patients with chronic hepatitis were divided in two groups, a control-group of 21 patients (10 type B and 11 type C) who were followed for 6 months without treatment and an IFN-group consisting of 29 patients (8 type B and 21 type C) who received IFN therapy for 6 months. Serum samples were tested for a range of antibodies at the start of the study, during therapy and at the end of the 6 month period. Antibodies tested for included: antinuclear, smooth muscle, antimitochondrial, parietal cell and thyroid microsomal. Four (8%) of the total patient group had autoantibodies at the beginning of the study (two in each group). During the follow-up period no patient in the control group developed antibodies compared with 3 (11%) patients in the treatment group. Autoantibodies developed in patients treated with higher doses of IFN and were found in those patients who tended to show a poor response to IFN-therapy. Further studies are needed to establish the relationship between poor response to IFN-alpha and development of autoantibodies.