Transmission, Natural History, and Treatment of Hepatitis C Virus Infection in the Pediatric Population

Jeffrey B. Schwimmer; William F. Balistreri

doi:10.1055/s-2000-9257

Seminars in Liver Disease, Inhaltsverzeichnis

Semin Liver Dis 2000; Volume 20(Number 01): 0037-0046
DOI: 10.1055/s-2000-9257

Transmission, Natural History, and Treatment of Hepatitis C Virus Infection in the Pediatric Population

Jeffrey B. Schwimmer, William F. Balistreri

Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Children's Hospital Medical Center, The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Compared with the adult population, hepatitis C virus infection may differ in the pediatric age group with respect to transmission, course, and response to treatment. The prevalence of hepatitis C in children is between 0.05% and 0.4%. The major mode of acquisition has shifted from parenteral transmission to maternal-infant transmission. However, the actual rate of maternal-infant transmission is low. The natural history of hepatitis C in children is not well characterized, although the available information suggests a milder disease than in adults. In the eight studies of treatment with interferon for hepatitis C in children, the incidence of a complete sustained response varied from 0 to 45%. No pediatric studies have evaluated quality of life or the effect of treatment on the development of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Children may respond better to treatment than adults. We recommend that children with hepatitis C are considered for treatment only as part of a controlled clinical trial.

KEYWORD

hepatitis C virus - interferon - children

Volltext

Referenzen

REFERENCES

1 Murphy E L, Bryzman S, Williams A E. Demographic determinants of hepatitis C virus seroprevalence among blood donors. JAMA . 1996; 275 995-1000
2 Alter M J, Kruszon-Moran D, Nainan O V. The prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection in the United States 1988 through 1994. N Engl J Med . 1999; 341 556-562
3 National Institutes of Health. Management of Hepatitis C. NIH Consens Statement Online 1997 Mar 24-26 [1999, September 9];15(3)1-41
4 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Recommendations for prevention and control of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and HCV-related chronic disease. Morb Mortal Wkly Rep . 1998; 47 1-39
5 Ohto H, Terazawa S, Sasaki N. Transmission of hepatitis C virus from mothers to infants. The Vertical Transmission of Hepatitis C Virus Collaborative Study Group. N Engl J Med . 1994; 330 744-750
6 Resti M, Azzari C, Lega L. Mother-to-infant transmission of hepatitis C virus. Acta Paediatr . 1995; 84 251-255
7 La Torre A, Biadaioli R, Capobianco T. Vertical transmission of HCV. Acta Obstet Gynaecol Scand . 1998; 77 889-892
8 Giacchino R, Tasso L, Timitillli A. Vertical transmission of hepatitis C virus infection: Usefulness of viremia detection in HIV-seronegative hepatitis C virus-seropositive mothers. J Pediatr . 1998; 132 167-169
9 Granovsky M O, Minkoff H L, Tess B H. Hepatitis C virus infection in the Mothers and Infants Cohort Study. Pediatrics . 1998; 102 355-359
10 Resti M, Azzari C, Mannelli F. Mother to child transmission of hepatitis C virus: prospective study of risk factors and timing of infection in children born to women seronegative for HIV-1. BMJ . 1998; 317 437-441
11 Zanetti A R, Tanzi E, Paccagnini S. Mother-to-infant transmission of hepatitis C virus. Lancet . 1995; 341 289-291
12 Paccagnini S, Principi N, Massironi E. Perinatal transmission and manifestation of hepatitis C virus infection in a high risk population. Pediatr Infect Dis J . 1995; 14 195-199
13 Thomas D L, Villano S A, Riester K A. Perinatal transmission of hepatitis C virus from human immunodefidiency virus type 1-infected mothers. J Infect Dis . 1998; 177 1480-1488
14 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Public Health Service inter-agency guidelines for screening donors of blood, plasma, organs, tissues, and semen for evidence of hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Morb Mortal Wkly Rep . 1991; 40 1-17
15 AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases. Hepatitis C virus infection. Pediatrics . 1998; 101 481-484
16 Lin H, Kao J, Hsu H. Absence of infection in breast-fed infants born to hepatitis C virus-infected mothers. J Pediatr . 1995; 126 589-591
17 Kumar R M, Shahul S. Role of breast-feeding in transmission of hepatitis C virus to infants of HCV-infected mothers. J Hepatol . 1998; 29 191-197
18 Thomas D L. Mother-infant hepatitis c transmission: second generation research. Hepatol . 1999; 29 992-993
19 Chang M, Ni Y, Hwang L. Long term clinical and virologic outcome of primary hepatitis C infection in children: A prospective study. Pediatr Infect Dis J . 1994; 13 769-773
20 Palomba E, Manzini P, Fiammengo P. Natural history of perinatal hepatitis C virus infection. Clin Infect Dis . 1996; 23 47-50
21 Bortolotti F, Resti M, Giacchino R. Hepatitis C virus infection and related liver disease in children of mothers with antibodies to the virus. J Pediatr. 1997; 130 990-993
22 Matsuoka S, Tatara K, Haybuchi Y. Serologic, virologic, and histologic characteristics of chronic phase hepatitis C virus disease in children infected by transfusion. Pediatrics . 1994; 94 919-922
23 Garcia-Monzon C, Jara P, Fernandez-Bermejo M. Chronic hepatitis C in children: A clinical and immunohistochemical comparative study with adult patients. Hepatol . 1998; 28 1696-1701
24 Bortolotti F, Jara P, Diaz C. Posttransfusion and community-acquired hepatitis C in childhood. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr . 1994; 18 279-283
25 Locasciulli A, Testa M, Pontisso P. Prevalence and natural history of hepatitis C infection in patients cured of childhood leukemia. Blood . 1997; 90 4628-4633
26 Vogt M, Lang T, Frosner G. Prevalence and clinical outcome of hepatitis C infection in children who underwent cardiac surgery before the implementation of blood-donor screening. N Engl J Med . 1999; 341 886-870
27 McDiarmid S V, Conrad A, Ament M E. De novo hepatitis C in children after liver transplantation. Transplantation . 1998; 66 311-318
28 Guido M, Rugge M, Jara P. Chronic hepatitis C in children: The pathological and clinical spectrum. Gastroenterology . 1998; 115 1525-1529
29 Kage M, Fujisawa T, Shiraki K. Pathology of chronic hepatitis C in children. Hepatol . 1997; 26 771-775
30 Badizadegan K, Jonas M M, Ott M J, Nelson S P, Perez-Atayde A R. Histopathology of the liver in children with chronic hepatitis C viral infection. Hepatol . 1998; 28 1416-1423
31 Ruiz-Moreno M, Rua M J, Castillo I. Treatment of children with chronic hepatitis C with recombinant interferon-alpha: A pilot study. Hepatol . 1992; 16 882-885
32 Clemente M G, Congia M, Lai M E. Effect of iron overload on the response to recombinant interferon-alfa treatment in transfusion-dependent patients with thalassemia major and chronic hepatitis C. J Pediatr . 1994; 125 123-128
33 Bortolotti F, Giacchino R, Vajro P. Recombinant interferon-alpha therapy in children with chronic hepatitis C. Hepatol . 1995; 22 1623-1626
34 Zwiener R J, Fielman B A, Cochran C. Interferon-alpha-2b treatment of chronic hepatitis C in children with hemophilia. Pediatr Infect Dis J . 1996; 15 906-908
35 Iorio R, Pensati P, Porzio S. Lymphoblastoid interferon alfa treatment in chronic hepatitis C. Arch Dis Child . 1996; 74 152-156
36 Komatsu H, Fujisawa T, Inui A. Efficacy of interferon in treating chronic hepatitis C in children with a history of acute leukemia. Blood . 1996; 87 4072-4075
37 DiMarco V, Lo Iacono O, Almasio P. Long-term efficacy of alpha-interferon in beta-thalassemics with chronic hepatitis C. Blood . 1997; 90 2207-2212
38 Pensati P, Iorio R, Botta S. Low rate sustained response to IFN therapy in children with chronic hepatitis C (CHC). Hepatol . 1998; 28 289A
39 Lau D TY, Kleiner D E, Ghany M G. 10-Year follow-up after interferon-alpha therapy for chronic hepatitis C. Hepatol . 1998; 28 1121-1127
40 Serfaty L, Aumaitre H, Chazouilleres O. Determinants of outcome of compensated hepatitis C virus-related cirrhosis. Hepatol . 1998; 27 1435-1440
41 Kasahara A, Hayashi N, Mochizuki K. Risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma and its incidence after interferon treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Hepatol . 1998; 27 1394-1402
42 International Interferon-Hepatocellular Carcinoma Study Group. Effect of interferon-α on progression of cirrhosis to hepatocellular carcinoma: A retrospective cohort study. Lancet . 1998; 351 1535-1539
43 McHutchison J G, Gordon S C, Schiff E R. Interferon alfa-2b alone or in combination with ribavirin as initial treatment for chronic hepatitis C. N Engl J Med . 1998; 339 1485-1492
44 Grether J K, Nelson K B, Dambrosia J M, Phillips T M. Interferons and cerebral palsy. J Pediatr . 1999; 134 324-332
45 Vesikari T, Nuutila A, Cantell K. Neurologic sequelae following interferon therapy of juvenile laryngeal papilloma. Acta Paediatr Scand . 1988; 77 619-622