METAANALYSIS OF INTERFERON-ALPHA TREATMENT OF HEPATITIS-D VIRUS-INFECTION

The severity of chronic hepatitis D infection and its unfavorable prog ress necessitate research into drugs and protocols capable of changing the natural history of the disease. Over the last few years interfero n (IFN)-alpha has been the drug of choice in the management of this in fection. We assessed its long-term efficacy by analyzing 5 controlled and 10 uncontrolled trials conducted between 1987 and 1994. The Mantel -Haenszel-Peto method was used in the former to perform statistical an alysis. The odds ratio (0.16, confidence interval 0.058-0.476) confirm ed the efficacy of IFN-alpha, even if the coefficient was not signific ant because of the limited number of spontaneous remissions in the tri als. Although IFN treatment is fully beneficial in only a small number of patients with chronic hepatitis D infection, at present it is the only available agent.