Response to Interferon-α in Chronic Hepatitis B With and Without Precore Mutant Strain Detected by Mutation Site–specific Assay

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Abstract
We investigated whether the presence of precore mutant (stop codon mutation at codon 28) affects the response to interferon-alpha in patients with chronic hepatitis B. Mutations of hepatitis B virus (HBV) may influence the response to treatment. The association of precore mutant with the response to interferon is controversial. Thirty-one Japanese patients with hepatitis B e antigen-positive chronic hepatitis were treated with natural interferon-alpha. HBV DNA with the precore mutation was assayed in serum using a mutation site-specific assay before and after treatment. Before treatment, precore mutant was detected in 22 cases (group A) and not detected in 9 cases (group B). Serum HBV DNA level before treatment was not different between the 2 groups. At the end of treatment, serum HBV DNA was decreased to undetectable levels in 13% (4 of 31). Six months after treatment, the percentage of cases with loss of hepatitis B e antigen and a decrease in the transaminase level to within the normal range was significantly higher in group B than in group A (67%, 18%, P = 0.015). Chronic hepatitis without precore mutant strain before treatment is more responsive to IFN-alpha.

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