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M Coltorti

Publications and source records attributed to M Coltorti.

97 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Role of delta infection in the progression to chronicity of acute HBsAg positive hepatitis.

A previous study of 159 consecutive cases of HBsAg+ acute viral hepatitis, observed from the onset of disease and seen between May 1977 and May 1980, revealed a higher frequency of evolution to chronicity in the region of Naples than that reported for other areas. This suggested that environmental factors might influence the chronically rate. We investigated 125 HBsAg+ acute hepatitis cases for whom sera were available: 35 patients who remained HBsAg+ at the two-year control (28 chronic hepatitis and 7 healthy carriers) and 90 who recovered and seroconverted HBsAg---- anti-HBs during follow-up. At the onset of disease, all patients who cleared HBsAg showed IgM anti-HBc positivity and 48 were also HBeAg positive; no patient was anti-delta positive. On the contrary of the 28 chronic cases only 7 were IgM anti-HBc+ (6 under 13 years old), while 21 were IgM anti-HBc- but anti-delta+. This study demonstrates that not all HBsAg+ acute hepatitis cases are due to HBV and that in our area, superinfection by the delta agent is responsible for most cases of chronic HBsAg positive hepatitis.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Recombinant human interferon alpha-2a therapy for chronic hepatitis C with or without cirrhosis: comparison of 3 or 6 MU for 1 year.

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of two different therapeutical regimens of IFN alpha-2a in patients with HCV related chronic liver disease. Eighty one patients with HCV chronic hepatitis with or without cirrhosis entered the study; 42 and 39 patients were treated with 3 or 6 MU IFN, respectively. The results show that: 1) 25/39 (64.1%) patients treated with 6 MU and 21/42 (50.0%) patients treated with 3 MU had a complete response defined as a decline in serum ALT levels to the normal range during therapy; 2) complete response to 6 MU treatment was observed independently of the presence or absence of cirrhosis; in the 3 MU group, a complete response was observed in 31.6% of patients with CAH + cirrhosis as compared with 68.2% of those with CAH alone (p < 0.03); and 3) at 1 year after the end of the treatment we observed persistent ALT normalization in 40.6% and 28.2% of patients treated with 6 or 3 MU, respectively, and absence, of HCV viraemia (HCV-RNA) in 7/10 patients with CAH and in 2/7 patients with CAH + cirrhosis, mostly in patients treated with 6 MU. In conclusion, 6 MU IFN dose is more effective than 3 MU in reducing disease activity in HCV chronic hepatitis, specially in patients with CAH + cirrhosis.

Adult↗