| Abstract: | Abstract: We studied 81 patients with chronic hepatitis C to investigate the relationship between iron and α-interferon response. Sixty-one patients (group A) were given α-interferon irrespective of iron status, whereas 20 (group B) with iron overload, were iron depleted before α-interferon therapy. In group A, 21 patients responded to α-interferon and 40 were non-responders. Increased iron indices were significantly more frequent in non-responders than responders. Multivariate analysis showed that among the independent variables evaluated, only γ-GT and liver iron concentration predicted therapy outcome. After phlebotomy treatment, serum alanine aminotransferase fell significantly both in patients of group B (196±122 IU/1 vs 82±37 IU/1, p<10-6) and in 12 non-responders of group A (198±89 IU/1 vs 107±81 IU/1, p<10-6). In 16 iron depleted patients, eight from each group, subsequent treatment with α-interferon produced a response in only one patient. These results suggest that increased liver iron is a negative prognostic factor for a-interferon response in chronic hepatitis C. Iron depletion had a beneficial effect on serum alanine aminotransferase in all the patients treated, but did not improve the response to α-interferon. |
