INTERFERON TREATMENT OF CHRONIC ACTIVE HEPATITIS-C IN PATIENTS WITH END-STAGE CHRONIC-RENAL-FAILURE

Alpha interferon has been shown to be effective in the treatment of ch ronic hepatitis C virus infection. We studied the efficacy of alpha(2a )-interferon in chronic active hepatitis C patients with end-stage chr onic renal, failure (CRF), Thirteen patients with CRF and 12 patients with a normal renal function were included in the study. The patients received interferon 3 million units three times a week subcutaneously for 6 months. All patients with CRF and 6 patients without CRF had a c omplete response, defined as a decline in serum alanine aminotransfera se levels to the normal range, One patient had a decrease in alanine a minotransferase of more than 50%, and 5 patients were nonresponders. A relapse was observed in 4 patients with and in 4 without CRF. Three p atients had renal transplantation, and the alanine aminotransferase le vels were normal after 12-14 months, This preliminary study shows that interferon is effective in the treatment of patients with chronic hep atitis C and CRF.