Search results for " hepatitis"
showing 10 items of 546 documents
Early discontinuation of ribavirin in HCV-2 and HCV-3 patients responding to Peg-interferon alpha-2a and ribavirin
2008
Guidelines for the treatment of patients infected with hepatitis C virus of genotypes 2 and 3 (HCV-2 and HCV-3, respectively) recommend a 24-week course of Peg-interferon (Peg-IFN) alpha-2a combined with ribavirin, despite 50% of patients in registration trials attaining a sustained virologic response (SVR) following Peg-IFN alpha-2a monotherapy. The aim of this study was to delineate patient characteristics that might help to identify individuals likely to benefit from ribavirin discontinuation. One hundred and forty-four HCV-2- and HCV-3-infected patients initiated Peg-IFN alpha-2a (180 microg/week) and ribavirin (1000 or 1200 mg/day); those with viral clearance at week 4 were randomized …
An open-safety study of dual antiviral therapy in real-world patients with chronic hepatitis C
2010
Purpose Treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C with alpha-interferon and ribavirin usually produces adverse events within the first 3 months. We aimed to assess safety and predictors of discontinuation or dose modification of these drugs. Methods Observational study of 312 patients with predominantly genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C treated openly along 5 years in a clinical practice setting. Results Eighty-four percent of patients experienced at least one adverse event (853 events in total, 3.3 per patient on average). Incidence rate was higher during the first 90 days and decreased thereafter (<5%). Discontinuation rates at 30 and 90 days and at end of treatment were 2, 4 and 8%, re…
Current practice of chronic hepatitis B treatment in Southern Italy
2012
Abstract Background Treatment choice for chronic HBV infection is a continuously evolving issue, with a wide range of options. We aimed to evaluate the current practice of HBV therapies in the real world in Southern Italy. Methods A prospective study enrolling over a six month period (February–July 2010) all consecutive HBsAg positive subjects, never previously treated, referred to 16 liver units in two Southern Italy regions (Calabria and Sicily). Results Out of 247 subjects evaluated, 116 (46.9%) had HBV-DNA undetectable or lower than 2000 UI/ml. There were 108 (43.7%) inactive carriers, 103 (41.7%) chronic hepatitis, and 36 (14.6%) liver cirrhosis. Antiviral treatment was planned in 94 (…
The aetiology of chronic hepatitis in Italy: results from a multicentre national study
2004
Background: No recent national-level data on the aetiology of chronic hepatitis are available in Italy. Aim: To evaluate the current aetiology of chronic hepatitis in Italy. Patients: A total of 6210 chronic hepatitis patients (both prevalence and incident cases) consecutively admitted to 79 hospitals located throughout Italy were enrolled over a 6-month period in 2001. The hospitals were randomly selected through systematic cluster sampling. Results: The main agent associated with chronic hepatitis was hepatitis C virus, which was found in 76.5% of the patients (in 62.6% it was the only aetiologic factor). Hepatitis B surface antigen was present in the serum of 12.2% of the cases (in 9.2% …
Long-Term Follow-Up of Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C after Interferon-Alpha Treatment
1996
In this study, 72 patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) were followed prospectively for a mean period of 27 months after interferon treatment. Fifty-seven percent (20/35) of the patients with complete response, 18/20 with HCV-RNA-negative serum, had a sustained biochemical remission. Reactivation was seen in 43% of these patients after a mean follow-up of 7.3 months. A late relapse after more than 12 months of follow-up occurred in only 2/15 patients. Patients with a long-term complete response had significantly lower pretreatment serum HCV RNA levels than complete responders with relapse (106,239 vs. 345,649 mEq/ml, p = 0.0213). A delayed sustained biochemical remission was seen in…
Inverse correlation between plasma oxysterol and LDL-cholesterol levels in hepatitis C virus-infected patients
2012
Background: Hepatitis C virus infection is characterised by enhanced oxidative stress, which can be measured quantitatively by plasma oxysterol concentration. These molecules may affect lipid metabolism through the activation of Liver X Receptors. Hepatitis C virus exploits host lipid metabolism to facilitate its replication and diffusion. In our study we aimed to evaluate and highlight the potential pathogenetic role of oxysterols, 7-ketocholesterol and 7-β-hydroxycholesterol, in hepatitis C virus-related lipid dysmetabolism. Methods: The study was performed in 42 patients with chronic hepatitis C (93% genotype 1b) and 38 non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients. Plasma oxysterols 7-keto…
Impact of liver steatosis on the antiviral response in the hepatitis C virus-associated chronic hepatitis.
2006
: Background/Aim: Liver steatosis (LS) has been variably associated with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) but whether it affects sustained virological response to antiviral treatment and by what mechanisms is a question still under debate, at least for some genotypes. The aim of this work was to assess the frequency of LS, its relationship with host and viral factors and to what extent it can influence the response to antiviral combination therapy with pegylated interferon (INF)+ribavirin in a group of patients with CHC from a single center. Patients: One hundred and twelve patients with histologically proven CHC were treated with Peg INF-α 2a 180 μg a week subcutaneously for 48 weeks plus ribavir…
Post-infantile giant cell hepatitis in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis and autoimmune hepatitis.
2008
In post-infancy, multinucleated giant cell hepatitis is rare. Various conditions and diseases associated with post-infantile giant cell hepatitis have been described, but the pathogenesis remains unknown. In this paper we review the case reports of four patients (3 male, 1 female; aged 22 to 32 years) with primary sclerosing cholangitis and autoimmune hepatitis. The follow-up ranges from five to seven years. All patients showed cholestasis and repeated elevation of hepatic transaminases. Patients with viral infections, metabolic disorders and toxic influences were excluded. Histopathology of liver tissue in all four patients revealed giant cell formation with up to 20 nuclei in 20-70% of al…
An evaluation of transient elastography in the discrimination of HBeAg-negative disease from inactive hepatitis B carriers
2009
Summary. Liver biopsy is frequently required in HBeAg-negative disease to determine the stage of fibrosis. It can be difficult to distinguish cohorts with undetectable HBeAg who may have varying degrees of fibrosis due to different stages of disease. We have assessed the utility of transient elastography (TE) to evaluate differences in HBeAg-negative patients. A total of 220 HBsAg-positive individuals were studied: 125 (group 1) had an inactive HBsAg carrier state and 95 (group 2) were HBeAg-negative, anti-HBe-positive patients with persistently or intermittent elevation of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and/or HBV DNA >105 copies/mL. Mean stiffness was 4.83 ± 1.2 kPa in group 1 vs 8.53 ± …
Anti-actin antibodies in celiac disease: correlation with intestinal mucosa damage and comparison of ELISA with the immunofluorescence assay.
2005
The presence in the sera of celiac disease (CD) patients of anti-actin autoantibodies (AAAs) has been suggested as a marker of severe intestinal villus atrophy (1). AAAs have been detected with an immunofluorescence (IF) technique and seem to contribute to villus cytoskeleton damage and to the pathogenesis of intestinal damage in CD (2). The aims of the present study were to evaluate the relationship between the presence of serum IgA AAAs and severity of intestinal mucosa damage in CD patients and to compare the IF assay with a new ELISA for IgA AAA determination. We enrolled 150 individuals in the study. IgA AAAs were assayed in 58 consecutive CD patients diagnosed between January and Dece…