Utility of a little phlebotomy intermittently just before intravenous injection of glycyrrhizin for patients with chronic hepatitis C

Abstract

We performed a small phlebotomy (50ml) intermittently just before intravenous injection of glycyrrhizin (GL) in eight patients with chronic hepatitis C and continued this therapy until their serum ferritin levels dropped below 20 ng/ml without any changes of GL dosage. No patients had complications but one patient holded treatment according to their wishing. In seven patients who completed this therapy, the average amount of phlebotomized blood was 1221±1055ml, their serum ferritin value significantly fell from 253±233ng/ml to 18±5ng/ml (p=0.038). Serum ALT levels also significantly decreased from 74±22IU/L to 41±12IU/L (p=0.001). Small intermittent phlebotomies before GL injection may be a effective treatment for hepatitis C.