The comparative efficacy of prednisolone followed by interferon alfa (IFN-alpha) versus IFN-alpha alone in enhancing the rate of antibody to hepatitis B e antigen (anti-HBe) seroconversion has not been evaluated in a large cohort of white children. To determine this, a multicenter-controlled trial was conducted in 95 hepatitis B virus (HBV)-DNA/hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive children (median age, 9 years [range, 2-16 years]; 56 boys; 84 [89 percent] white), all having inflammatory changes on liver biopsy. Patients were randomized to receive either prednisolone followed by IFN-alpha (n = 34); placebo followed by IFN-alpha (n = 30); or no treatment (n = 31). The prednisolone/placebo was given on a double-blind basis. Lymphoblastoid IFN-alpha was given at 5 MU/m(2) three times a week for 12 weeks. Baseline clinical, biochemical, and histological features were similar for the three groups. The majority (85 percent) had a baseline aspartate aminotransferase (AST) level < or = 100 IU/L. On follow-up between 12 and 18 months (median, 15 months) after treatment, the loss of HBeAg with anti-HBe seroconversion was more common in patients pretreated with steroids (12 of 34 [35 percent]) or placebo [12 of 30 (40 percent)] as against controls (4 of 31 [13 percent], P< .05). Factors predictive of anti-HBe seroconversion were baseline HBV-DNA concentration of < or = 1,000 pg/mL and a greater degree of portal tract inflammation on pretrial biopsy. Our results show that in white children treatment with IFN-alpha, at the dose and duration used in this study, improves the rate of anti-HBe seroconversion. Steroid priming does not potentiate the effect of IFN-alpha.
The most effective treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is interferon alfa (IFN-alpha), a potentially severe side effect of which is the induction of autoimmunity. To assess whether IFN-alpha causes clinical or serological autoimmune manifestations, we studied 61 children randomized to receive 5 MU/m2 of IFN-alpha three times per week for 12 weeks, with or without steroid priming or no treatment. Autoantibodies to antinuclei (ANA), smooth muscle (SMA), gastric parietal cell (GPC), liver kidney microsomal type 1, mitochondrial, liver cytosolic antigen, thyroid microsomal, and thyroid globulin were detected by standard techniques. Over a median of 4 years (range, 1-5 years) from randomization, no clinical signs of autoimmunity were observed. Autoantibody positivity for nuclei, smooth muscle, and/or gastric parietal cells was observed on at least one occasion in 42 of 61 children (69%), with no overall difference in the prevalence between patients treated with interferon alone (19 of 24 [79%]), steroids plus interferon (13 of 20 [65%]), or untreated controls (10 of 17 [59%]). There was also no difference in the autoantibody prevalence before, during, and at follow-up after cessation of treatment in both interferon-treated and interferon-untreated patients. Autoantibodies are common in chronic HBV infection, and their prevalence is uninfluenced by IFN-alpha.
