Hepatic histologic and immunohistochemical changes in chronic hepatitis B after prolonged clearance of hepatitis B e antigen and hepatitis B surface antigen
Perrillo, R.P.; Brunt, E.M.
Annals of Internal Medicine 115(2): 113-115
1991
ISSN/ISBN: 0003-4819 PMID: 2058858 Document Number: 374495
alpha -Interferon is effective therapy for selected patients with mainly horizontally acquired chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Liver biopsies carried out up to 1 year after treatment-induced seroconversion generally show decreased inflammation. This study looks at liver biopsies up to 8 years after successful treatment in patients who had lost HBeAg initially and HBsAg subsequently. One patient had normal histology and the rest showed minimal inflammation (3 chronic persistent hepatitis, 1 chronic lobular hepatitis, 1 inactive cirrhosis, 1 post-hepatic scarring, 1 non-specific inflammation), showing that loss of virus, induced by therapy, leads to continuing improvement in liver histology. [What is more remarkable is the fact that 3 patients reverted from active cirrhosis to non-cirrhotic histology. Although the number of selected patients studied was small, the results suggest a long-term efficacy of alpha -interferon therapy in chronic HBV.]M.G. Brook.