Abstract

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of neutropenia and thrombocytopenia on virologic response in cases with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection receiving treatment with pegylated interferon. Patients with chronic HBV infection treated with pegylated interferon were analyzed retrospectively. Patients with or without end-of-treatment and sustained virologic response were compared in terms of basic parameters and pre-treatment, and during treatment leukocyte, neutrophil and platelet counts. Sixty-two (62) cases with chronic HBV infection (47 male; mean age was 41 ± 10.91 years) were included in the study. The ratio of male gender, the ratio of previous standard interferon users and the percentage of cases with a platelet count of <100000/mm³ at the end of the 3^rd month of treatment was higher in the group with end-of-treatment virologic response compared to non-responder (male gender was 33 (84.6%) and 14 (60.9%), p = 0.035; patients with previous standard interferon use were 13 (33.3%) and 2 (8.7%), p = 0.034; and patients with thrombocytopenia were 11 (28.2%) and 1 (4.3%), p = 0.024, respectively). Pre-treatment serum HBV DNA levels were lower in cases with end-of-treatment response compared to non-responders (p < 0.005). One patient (2.6%) with end-of-treatment response and 7 (30.4%) non-responders were hepatitis B virus “e” antigen (HBeAg)-positive (p = 0.003). The only independent predictor of end-of-treatment virologic response was previous standard interferon use (odds ratio 8.157, p = 0.048). There was no difference between groups with and without sustained virologic response in terms of evaluated variables. Cytopenia development during treatment did not affect pegylated interferon treatment response in our study. End-of-treatment response to treatment with pegylated interferon is enhanced in previous standard interferon users compared to treatment-naive patients.

Key words: Hepatitis B virus, thrombocytopenia, neutropenia, interferons.