In:
Antiviral Therapy, SAGE Publications, Vol. 17, No. 2 ( 2012-02), p. 305-312
Kurzfassung:
The role of anti-HDV immunoglobulin M (IgM) testing in patients receiving pegylated interferon-α therapy for hepatitis delta is unknown. We performed anti-HDV IgM testing in a well defined cohort of HDV-infected patients who were treated with pegylated interferon-α2a plus adefovir, or either drug alone. Methods Sera from 33 HDV-RNA-positive patients from the international HIDIT-1 trial were available for anti-HDV IgM testing (ETI-DELTA-IGMK-2 assay, DiaSorin, Saluggia, Italy) before therapy, at treatment weeks 24 and 48, and at 24 weeks after the end of treatment. Results Anti-HDV IgM tested positive in 31 out of the 33 patients (94%) prior to treatment. HDV IgM levels correlated with histological inflammatory activity ( r=0.51, P 〈 0.01) and were higher in patients with alanine aminotransferase and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase levels above the median ( P 〈 0.05). Quantitative anti-HDV IgM values declined in patients responding to antiviral therapy, however anti-HDV IgM remained positive after treatment in the majority of virological responders. Conclusions We suggest that anti-HDV IgM testing might give additional useful information to determine disease activity in hepatitis delta and to predict treatment response to antiviral therapy with type I interferons. However, determination of anti-HDV IgM can not substitute HDV RNA testing, which remains the primary virological marker for response to therapy.
Materialart:
Online-Ressource
ISSN:
1359-6535
,
2040-2058
Sprache:
Englisch
Verlag:
SAGE Publications
Publikationsdatum:
2012
ZDB Id:
2118396-X
SSG:
15,3
