The authors used in the treatment of chronic viral hepatitis C a two-stage induction treatment. Stage A: Interferon-alpha 2b 28× daily 10 mil. units (MU), stage B: Interferon-alpha 2b 3 MU TIW for 12 weeks. The authors followed up changes of viraemia during the first week of treatment and changes in the evidence of HCV infection in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). The investigation comprised a total of 20 patients with positive predictive factors of treatment. Evidence was provided that the daily administration of 10 MU interferon-alpha leads in as many as 75 % (15/20) cases to elimination of serum HCV-RNA and in 60 % (12/20) to elimination of HCV-RNA from PBMC. This favourable effect is, however, of short duration, 87 % (13/15) patients relapsed during stage B of the therapeutic scheme. The solution of this adverse situation may be protraction of the induction stage or supplementation of ribavirine.

        Key words: interferon-alpha – induction treatment – chronic viral hepatitis C – mononuclear blood cells