Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Neri, Sergio
• Bruno, Cosimo M.
• Abate, Giuseppe
• Ierna, Dario
• Mauceri, Barbara
• Cilio, Danila
• Bordanaro, Fabio
• Pulvirenti, Davide
• Italiano, Claudio
• Caruso, Luciano

Titel

Controlled clinical trial to assess the response of recent heroin abusers with chronic hepatitis C virus infection to treatment with interferon alpha-n2b

Ist Teil von

• Clinical therapeutics, 2002-10, Vol.24 (10), p.1627-1635

Ort / Verlag

Belle Mead, NJ: EM Inc USA

Erscheinungsjahr

2002

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Background: Chronic infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the most common infectious disease among heroin abusers, but it is recommended that specific treatment with interferon be delayed until at least 6 to 12 months after the end of drug addiction. Objective: We investigated the response of heroin abusers to interferon treatment shortly after the end of detoxification treatment with methadone. Methods: We studied 2 homogeneous groups of white Italian patients with chronic HCV infection: former male heroin abusers and males without a history of drug addiction. Tumor necrosis factor, interleukin-1beta, interleukin-2, activated monocytes, anti-HCV antibodies, HCV RNA, and alanine aminotransferase levels were assessed. Standard treatment was initiated with 5 MU interferon alpha-n2b administered subcutaneously once daily for 8 weeks. Patients with negative HCV-RNA findings at the end of 8 weeks received further treatment with 5 MU TIW subcutaneously for an additional 48 weeks. Results: Thirty of 47 patients in group A (former heroin abusers) and 30 of 30 patients in group B (controls) completed the study. Heroin abusers presented a significantly enhanced response to treatment compared with the controls. After 8 weeks, HCV-RNA test results were negative in 27 of 30 patients in group A (90.0%) and in 25 of 30 in group B (83.3%) ( P = NS). Onset of relapse occurred significantly later in heroin abusers (mean [SD], 53 [3] weeks) than in controls (26 [2] weeks) ( P < 0.05). Cytokine levels and activated CD11 antigen—expressing monocytes were significantly ( P < 0.001) higher in heroin abusers than controls. Conclusion: Heroin abusers with chronic HCV infection were successfully treated with interferon alpha-n2b soon after the end of detoxification treatment.