Monitoring Of Liver Metabolic Function During Interferon-Alpha Therapy And Its Relationship To Treatment Outcome In Chronic Hepatitis C Patients

Background/Aims: Interferon is considered the cornerstone in the therapy of chronic hepatitis C patients. Experimental studies have shown that interferon administration may influence liver metabolic activity. However, data concerning the monitoring of liver metabolic function during a therapeutic course of interferon in chronic hepatitis C patients are scanty. The MEGX (monoethylglycinexylidide) test has been used in diagnostic and prognostic assessment of chronic liver disease as a quantitative liver function test. In this study our aim was to non-invasively monitor liver function in chronic hepatitis C patients during a course of interferon-a therapy and to evaluate whether the presence of modifications in liver metabolic function might influence the therapeutic outcome.Methodology: We studied 22 patients with biopsyproven chronic hepatitis C before, during (1st, 3rd and 6th month of therapy), and three months after interferon-a (3 million units thrice weekly for six months) using MEGX test to monitor liver function.Results: During the longitudinal study no significant differences were observed between pretreatment MEGX(30) values and those obtained during interferon treatment or at the end of follow-up, both considering patients together or grouped according to treatment outcome (Responders vs. Non-responders). Analysis of the MEGX(30) variations during therapy showed that they were evenly distributed between responder and non-responder patients. Furthermore, during interferon therapy none of the patients reached a MEGX(30) value compatible with severely impaired liver function.Conclusions: Our results suggest that although a discrete prevalence of modifications in liver metabolic function occurs in chronic hepatitis C patients during interferon therapy they do not seem to have clinical relevance or influence therapeutic outcome.