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Antipyrine clearance and response to interferon treatment in patients with chronic active hepatitis C. To determine whether hepatic metabolic function affects the response to interferon treatment , we measured antipyrine clearance ( APC ) in 85 patients with chronic active hepatitis C and compared the results with treatment outcome . Among 55 patients who responded to interferon by normalization of alanine transaminase ( ALT ) , median APC before treatment was 0.47 ( range , 0.12 to 0.98 ; normal range , 0.34 to 1.02 mL/min/kg body wt ) , a value that was significantly greater than in 30 nonresponders ( 0.23 ; 0.08 to 0.67 mL/min/kg body wt , P < .001 ) . APC was closely associated with response to interferon . The response rate among cases with values > 0.25 mL/min/kg body weight was 79 % , the same as in cases without cirrhosis . Cases without cirrhosis and with APC of > 0.25 mL/min/kg body weight had an 85 % chance of responding to interferon ; this was unlikely a simple reflection of histological activity , because the correlation with Scheuer score was poor in this subgroup ( r = -.31 , P < .05 ) . A second , independent group of 43 patients was used to test the predictive value of APC ( using 0.25 mL/min/kg body wt as a cut-off ) for response to interferon treatment . In this group , APC correctly predicted positive response to interferon in 75 % of cases . APC was also used to measure the effects of treatment on hepatic metabolic function . Regardless of outcome , there was no change in APC at the end of a 6-month course of interferon treatment . Six months later , however , improvement in APC ( 14 % ; P < .05 ) was evident among responders but not in those who had failed to respond to interferon . ( ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS )
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Intervention_Pharmacological
interferon
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Intervention_Physical
treatment
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Intervention_Pharmacological
interferon
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Intervention_Physical
treatment
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Intervention_Physical
interferon
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Intervention_Physical
interferon
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Intervention_Physical
interferon
81169
Intervention_Pharmacological
interferon
81170
Intervention_Pharmacological
interferon
81171
Intervention_Pharmacological
interferon
81172
Outcome_Other
Antipyrine clearance and
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Outcome_Physical
response to interferon treatment
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Outcome_Other
response to interferon treatment
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Outcome_Other
antipyrine clearance ( APC )
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Outcome_Mental
response to interferon
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Outcome_Other
response rate
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Outcome_Other
responding to interferon
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Outcome_Other
Scheuer score
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Outcome_Other
predictive value of APC
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Outcome_Other
positive response to interferon
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Outcome_Physical
hepatic metabolic function
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Outcome_Other
APC
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Participant_Condition
chronic active hepatitis C.
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Participant_Sample-size
85
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Participant_Condition
chronic active hepatitis C
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Participant_Sample-size
55
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Participant_Sample-size
43