FACTORS PREDICTIVE OF RESPONSE TO INTERFERON THERAPY IN CHILDREN WITHCHRONIC HEPATITIS-B

Background/Aims: The efficacy of interferon therapy in Caucasian child ren with chronic hepatitis B is similar to that in adults, However, li ttle information is available about factors predicting response to thi s therapy in children, We have performed a univariate analysis to asse ss the strength of association between basal variables and response, a nd a multivariate analysis to determine the combination of basal varia bles ,which give the best prediction of response in terms of sensitivi ty and specificity, Methods: The basal parameters were studied in 50 c hildren included in three different trials of interferon alpha therapy (360-700 MU/square meter of body surface, 2 or 3 times weekly for 12 to 24 weeks). Results: Of these, 18 (36%) mere responders, In the univ ariate analysis, a higher histological activity (p<0.05), a lower perc entage of HBcAg-stained hepatocytes (p<0.001), aspartate amino transfe rase and alanine aminotransferase levels (p<0.05) and alanine aminotra nsferase peak prior to serum HBV-DNA clearance (p<0.05), were associat ed to the response, In the multivariate analysis, the combinations of the percentage of HBcAg stained cells with alanine aminotransferase le vels and with the histological activity index were the best variables for predicting response (sensitivity: 100% and specificity: 89% and 86 %, respectively). Conclusions: Factors predictive of response in child ren with chronic hepatitis B are similar to those found in adults, and may help in identifying those children with a better chance of respon ding.