HOW MANY PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC VIRAL-HEPA TITIS ARE SUITABLE FOR INTERFERON THERAPY - A PROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF A UNIVERSITY OUTPATIENT DEPARTMENT

The present study prospectively analyzes 273 consecutive patients admi tted to the outpatient-hepatology clinic for interferon therapy of chr onic viral hepatitis from 1989 to 1991. 149/273 (54.6%) patients suffe red from hepatitis-B viral infection (HBV). Of the 107 patients with N ANB-hepatitis (39.2%) 103 patients finally proved to have hepatitis-C viral infection (HCV)(96.3%). In 17/273 patients (6.2%) the outside di agnosis of viral hepatitis was wrong. The percentage of men versus wom en was significantly greater in HBV (71.8% vs. 28.2%) than in HCV infe ction (52.4% vs. 47.5%) (p<0.01; c2-test). The admittance of patients increased from 68 patients in 1989 to 88 patients in 1990 and 117 pati ents in 1991. The percentage of HCV-patients increased from 26.4% in 1 989 to 38.6% in 1990 and 43.6% in 1991. The number of patients with HC V-infection admitted by non-university hospitals versus practitioners and internists was significantly greater in HCV-infection (48.5% vs. 5 1.5%) compared to HBV-infection (hospitals: 36.9%; practitioners: 63.1 %) (p<0.05). Interferon therapy was initiated in 131/252 patients (52% ) with HBV- or HCV-infection. HCV-patients were treated with interfero n significantly more frequently (59.2%) compared with HBV-patients (46 .9%) (p = 0.05). Since interferon therapy was initiated in only about 50% of HBV- and HCV-patients, the selection criteria for such treatmen t need to be publicized more effectively. The marked increase in patie nts with HCV-infection suggests that recent improvements in serology o f viral hepatitis are widely and appropriately used in clinical practi ce.