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Biomedical subjects

M Beergabel

Publications and source records attributed to M Beergabel.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

Treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus infection.

OBJECTIVE: To review the literature on the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE search (1986-December 1999) using key words such as HCV, hepatitis, non-A and non-B hepatitis, as well as terms regarding treatment during that time period. DATA SYNTHESIS: HCV infection was initially treated with interferon monotherapy, but only a minority of patients responded to long-term therapy. A higher rate of response in both interferon-naïve patients and interferon-relapsers has been achieved by using the combination of interferon and ribavarin. Other treatment regimens including high-dose interferon protocols, ursodeoxycholic acid, amantadine, and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs have been less promising. Many alternative therapies are being investigated. CONCLUSIONS: HCV infection is a major public health problem. It is now possible to achieve a cure in nearly 50% of the patients with this infection. Many additional therapies are being evaluated in order to achieve a higher cure rate.

Antiviral Agents↗

Celiac disease.

Celiac disease, or gluten-sensitive enteropathy, classically presents as diarrhea and weight loss in childhood, but it may also have protean manifestations and appear well into adult life. The increasing availability of noninvasive blood tests that are highly sensitive and specific for celiac disease enables primary care physicians to recognize the disorder in a wide variety of clinical situations. The authors believe that the disease is more common than supposed and thus offer this diagnostic review to increase awareness.

Adult↗

Acute hepatitis E virus infection presenting as a prolonged cholestatic jaundice.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an enteric virus that usually causes a self-resolving hepatitis; although, it may be fatal, especially in pregnant women. Although HEV is endemic in Israel, there have been no recent local outbreaks. We report the case of a 70-year-old man who presented with painless jaundice. Ultrasound and abdominal computed tomography scan revealed gallstones, with no evidence of cholecystitis and no dilatation of the intra-or extrahepatic bile ducts. An open cholecystectomy was performed with intraoperative cholangiography. There was no evidence of choledocholithiasis. A subsequent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography was normal. His bilirubin level subsequently increased to a maximum of 25 mg/dL, and his gamma-glutamyl-transferase level reached 1,400 U/L. There was no evidence of any autoimmune or metabolic disease, and routine viral serology was normal except for immunoglobulin G to hepatitis A virus. A liver biopsy revealed an acute cholestatic picture. The jaundice resolved slowly after a period of 6 months. Hepatitis E virus RNA was isolated from the acute-phase serum and was not detectable in the convalescent serum. This case is a unique example of chronic cholestatic jaundice that we think is caused by acute HEV infection.

Acute Disease↗