Influence of IFN-alpha on plasma erythropoietin levels in patients with hepatitis B virus-associated chronic active hepatitis

The influence of 3-month interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) treatment on plasma e rythropoietin (EPO) concentration in patients with chronic active hepatitis (CAH) induced by hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection was investigated. The s tudy was carried out in 44 nonanemic patients divided into two groups: CAH B, 30 subjects not treated with IFN-alpha, and CAH B-IFN, 14 subjects treat ed with IFN-alpha for the first 3 months of the study (5 MU/m(2) body surfa ce subcutaneously (s.c.) three times per week). In all patients, blood samp les were taken at the beginning of the study (0) and after 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, a nd 12 months of observation. At the beginning, plasma EPO levels in the CAH B (27.8 +/- 2.21 mU/ml) and CAH B-IFN (27.3 +/- 3.04 mU/ml) groups did not differ significantly from each other and were significantly higher (p < 0. 0001) than in healthy subjects (10.4 +/- 1.06 mU/ml). In patients in the CA H B group, plasma EPO concentrations did not change significantly during th e whole observation period. In patients in the CAH B-IFN group, a transient , significant increase in plasma EPO level was found. The highest plasma EP O concentration in this group was noted after the third month of treatment (41.1 +/- 3.41 mU/ml). In conclusion, patients with CAH induced by HBV infe ction are characterized by increased plasma EPO concentrations, and IFN-<al pha> treatment in these patients causes a transient increase in the plasma EPO level.