The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of alpha-interferon (alpha-IFN) treatment of 56 chronic hepatitis B (HB) patients positive for HB e antigen (HBeAg), which were previously not treated with alpha-IFN (group A). Seven of them, which did not respond to initial alpha-IFN treatment, were subjected to additional treatment with alpha-IFN (group B). Another 7 patients with chronic HB caused apparently by an HBeAg-minus HB virus (HBV) mutant represented group C. In the alpha-IFN treatment, 5 megaunits (MU) of alpha-IFN were administered subcutaneously three times a week for six months. A trend of improvement of important markers of the disease in the treated patients could be seen with increasing time after completion of the treatment even though it was not statistically significant. In group A, the absence of serum HBV DNA was found in 43% of the patients at the end of the treatment, in 41% 6 months later, and in 46% 12 months later. At the same time intervals group A showed negative HBeAg in 36%, 39% and 46%, positive anti-HBeAg in 36%, 38%, and 46%, negative HBsAg in 9%, 11%, and 14%, and normal level of alanine transaminase (ALT) in 23%, 39%, and 44%, respectively. A trend toward better results of alpha-interferon therapy for the group A patients displaying lower baseline viremia and higher ALT activity could be seen; however, this relationship was not statistically significant. Groups B and C were too small for statistical analysis. Nevertheless, 4 of 7 patients of group B were negative for HBV DNA 12 months after the treatment and HBV DNA was eliminated during the treatment in all patients of group C; however, 3 patients relapsed after the treatment.

Department of Infectious Diseases University Hospital Brno Czech Republic