Low virological response to interferon in children with chronic hepatitis C

Background/Aims: Children with chronic hepatitis C were recently found to h ave higher rates of sustained response to interferon compared to adults, Th e aim of this study was to verify the response to interferon using frequent viremia measurements. Methods: Sera from 25 children (13 males; mean age 7.9 years) with chronic hepatitis C, treated with recombinant alpha-2b interferon for 12 months, we re tested for liver function tests and viremia levels for a median of 27.5 months, Autoantibodies were evaluated during and after interferon. Results: Fifteen patients completed 12 months of interferon; treatment was stopped in 10 other patients, In 11 (44%) patients viremia was undetectable already at the second administration of interferon; one of them remained v iremia-free up to the end of follow-up and had persistently normal alanine- aminotransferase levels (complete sustained responder). A complete sustaine d response was observed only in one other patient, who normalized alanine a minotransferase and cleared viremia from the 3rd month of therapy. Three pa tients with persistent viremia normalized alanine-aminotransferase from the 3rd week of therapy up to the end of follow-up (biochemical sustained resp onders). Viremia was undetectable during treatment in four patients, who st opped interferon because of worsening in hypertransaminasemia. Three of the se four patients were anti-liver-kidney microsomal type 1-positive. Conclusions: In this study the response rate to interferon was very low and viremia and transaminase findings were often discordant.