Evaluates the Efficiency of Interferon-Alpha Therapy for Different TimeIntervals on the Levels of Iron in Serum Samples of Chronic Hepatitis CPatients

It was investigated that the Interferon-α (IFN-α) therapy to patients with hepatitis C are correlated with iron levels in serum. The aim and objective of this study was to test whether the iron levels in blood serum samples were decreased after IFN-α therapy for different time intervals. In present follow-up study, iron levels in serum samples of chronic Hepatitis C (HCV) patients before and after IFN-α therapy at different time interval (24-48 weeks) were evaluated. 160 females HCV patients were selected for follow-up study. Blood samples were collected from patients before and after treatment of IFN-α therapy. For comparative purpose, blood samples from healthy female subjects of the same age group were also collected. The serum iron was determined by electro thermal atomic absorption spectrometry, after microwave assisted acid digestion method. After INF-α therapy, HCV RNA level was undetectable in 32% and 58% patients, for 24-48 weeks, respectively. The level of Fe in serum samples were significantly reduced after longer period of treatment with INF-α (48 weeks).