C型慢性肝炎SVR例におけるHCV-RNAの一過性陽性例の検討

抄録

The real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques are widely used to diagnose sustained virological response (SVR). And we occasionally come across transient sero-positive HCV-RNA cases during antiviral therapy and after diagnosis of SVR in chronic hepatitis C.
Eight SVR cases showed transient sero-positivity of HCV-RNA during and within 6 months after IFN treatment (Study 1). And 19 SVR cases showed it in long-term follow up after the diagnosis of SVR (Study 2). Seven out of 8 Study 1 patients were cases with other than sero group 1 with high viral load. Four patients showed sero-positivity during IFN treatment, and rest of patients showed it within 6 months after the IFN treatment, when we diagnose SVR. The viral load of one of them was even quantifiable, and another one of them showed re-positivity after SVR diagnosis.
In Study 2, 12 out of 19 patients were cases with other than sero group 1 with high viral load. Three patients showed transient positivity of HCV-RNA with quantifiable viral load. And 3 patients showed repeated transient positivities in a long-term follow up. Transient sero-positive HCV-RNA was occasional incidence in SVR patients after IFN treatment for CH-C especially in cases with other than serogroup 1 with high viral load. Although its clinical importance is unclear, HCV is supposed to present in most of those patients. We would be better to beware of the presence of such cases in the follow up of SVR patients.