Long-term effect of interferon therapy on incidence of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma in Thai patients with chronic hepatitis B.

The aim of this study was to assess the long-term effects of interferon (IFN) therapy on the incidence of disease progression to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Thai patients with chronic hepatitis B. Sixty-seven patients with hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive chronic hepatitis B who received IFN therapy were retrospectively analyzed. The average duration of follow-up was 59.4+/-30.9 months (ranging from 20 to 119 months). Seventy-two untreated patients with comparable clinical data and mean duration of follow-up served as a control group. During follow-up, 24 (35.8%) treated and 7 (9.7%) untreated patients had a sustained loss of HBeAg. However, none of the treated patients or controls became negative for hepatitis B s antigen (HBsAg). Among treated patients, the response was independent of type and dose of IFN, as well as the presence of steroid priming. In addition, 1 of 24 (4.2%) sustained responders and 6 of 43 (14%) non-responders progressed to cirrhosis whereas 16 of 72 (22.2%) in the control group progressed to such sequelae. The overall incidence of new cirrhosis in sustained responders was significantly lower than in the control group (p=0.04). HCC appeared in 11 cirrhotic patients: 9 (12.5%) in the control group and 2 (4.7%) of the non-responders, whereas none of the sustained responders developed HCC. The average period to detection of HCC was 70.5+/-12.4 months for non-responders and 65.3+/-27.6 months for the control group, with no significant differences between these groups. In conclusion, our data suggest that IFN therapy might prevent the progression of cirrhosis and the development of HCC in patients with chronic hepatitis B. These beneficial effects were particularly observed in those who achieved a sustained virological response to treatment.

Efficacy of octreotide in the control of acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of octreotide in the control of acute upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding and prevention of rebleeding, the Gastroenterology Unit, Chulalongkorn University Hospital, conducted a prospective open study in patients with acute upper GI bleeding. All patients with acute upper GI bleeding were given octreotide by intravenous infusion. The patients then had endoscopic confirmation within 24 hours, were divided into variceal and nonvariceal groups, and then randomly allocated to receive either 48 hours of octreotide infusion or 48 hours of octreotide infusion plus 72 hours subcutaneous injection. Efficacy and safety of octreotide were evaluated during the 5 days observation period. Forty-three patients with acute upper GI bleeding were treated with octreotide infusion. After endoscopy, 16 patients in the variceal group and 22 patients in the non-variceal group were randomized to receive 48 hours infusion or 48 hours infusion plus 72 hours subcutaneous infusion. Failure to control active bleeding occurred in 11 patients (28.9%) and failure to prevent rebleeding was found in 5 patients (13.2%). The results showed that the effect of octreotide infusion in controlling acute upper GI bleeding appeared to be not different between the variceal and non-variceal causes. Subcutaneous injection of octreotide for another 72 hours showed no apparent benefit for the prevention of rebleeding.

Eradication of Helicobacter pylori with lansoprazole based triple therapy in peptic ulcer disease.

Lansoprazole 30 mg, amoxicillin 1000 mg, and tinidazole 500 mg were given twice daily to 39 peptic ulcer patients (26 duodenal and 13 gastric ulcer, mean age 52.4 +/- 15.01) who had H. pylori infection for two weeks. Additional lansoprazole 30 mg daily was given to duodenal and gastric ulcer patients for another two and six weeks respectively. Follow-up gastroduodenoscope was performed at fourth and eighth week and eighth and twelfth week for all duodenal and gastric ulcer patients, respectively. H. pylori status was evaluated by rapid urease test (CLO test) and histology at first and last endoscope. The ulcers were healed at the last endoscopy in 11 (85%) gastric ulcer patients and 24 (92%) duodenal ulcers patients. H. pylori infection was eradicated in 31 patients (79%). Mild side effects were observed in 15 per cent. In conclusion, 2 week regimen of lansoprazole, amoxicillin, and tinidazole triple therapy resulted in a relatively high healing rate of peptic ulcer (90%) and an acceptable eradication rate of H. pylori infection (79%).

Serodiagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection by immunoblot assay.

We compared a noninvasive serological test using a commercial immunoblot assay (Helicoblot 2.0) to tissue-based methods [rapid urease test (CLO test), histology and culture] in eighty Thai patients undergoing upper endoscopy. A true positive test was defined as at least two of the biopsy-related tests being positive. The CLO test was the most accurate test with sensitivity and specificity as high as 100%, whereas histology and culture had sensitivity of 100% and 72.2%, respectively, and the specificity of 72.7% and 96%, respectively. The serological test had a high sensitivity (97.2%) but exhibited an unsatisfactory specificity (40.9%). We concluded that the rapid urease test using multiple gastric biopsies was the most appropriate method for diagnosing H. pylori status. The role of immunoblot assay as a serological screening test in our population remains doubtful, but it may identify patients who have been infected with certain strains of H. pylori.

A risk scoring system to predict outcome of non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding in Thai patients.

The purpose of this study was to determine the predictors for poor outcome in patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) by constructing a risk-scoring system based on retrospective data analysis and validating the scoring system prospectively. In the first phase of the study, 264 patients with acute non-variceal UGIB were retrospectively reviewed, and likely predictors of poor outcome, including major re-bleeding, need for emergency surgery to control bleeding and hospital death, were ranked into a risk scoring system. In the second phase, this scoring system was prospectively validated in 107 patients. The characteristics of the retrospective and the prospective groups were not significantly different. Four predictors of outcome were found to be significant, namely concurrent illnesses, the presence of at least one disease (score 1), heart rate above 110 beat/min (score 1), blood transfusion over 6 units (score 2) and the presence of visible vessels on endoscopic examination (score 1). Patients with a total score of less than 2 had good outcome whereas scores of 2 or more were associated with a poor outcome. The accuracy of the test was 82.5 per cent. The positive and negative predictive values were 46.3 per cent and 92.7 per cent respectively. The likelihood ratio was 4.5. It is concluded that the risk scoring system constructed in this study represents a good predictor of poor clinical outcome in patients presenting with non-variceal UGIB.

Epidemiology of peptic ulcer disease in Thailand.

Peptic ulcers are common in all regions in Thailand. The true prevalence and incidence of peptic ulcer among the population can never be accurately assessed. National data compiled from official annual reports from provincial hospitals as well as hospital-based data are at best selective and carry several drawbacks in the process of data collection. some generalizations can be made nevertheless. Between 1981 and 1988, the hospitalization rate for peptic ulcer cases throughout the country remained fairly constant at around 111 to 112 per 100,000 population. At a large hospital in Bangkok, the proportions of gastric ulcers and duodenal ulcers cases between 1983 and 1988 were comparable, with more gastric ulcers among females than the males. Mortality among hospitalized peptic ulcer cases declined from 3.4 in 1977 to approximately 2 cases per 100,000 population in 1981 and fell further slightly thereafter. Much more statistical compilation is needed, while clearer diagnostic criteria should be followed in documenting reporting peptic ulcer cases in hospitals in order to arrive at more meaningful interpretations.

Diagnostic approaches and treatment of peptic ulcer at Chulalongkorn University Hospital, Bangkok.

Gastroscopy is the main investigative tool in the diagnosis of peptic ulcers in Thailand. In spite of its potential diagnostic value, endoscopic biopsy for histologic diagnosis is reserved only for suspected malignant gastric ulcers. Regarding treatment, duodenal ulcers can be treated satisfactorily with either low-dose antacid or one of the various H2-blockers, while gastric ulcers show a fairly good healing response to site-protective agents. Further trials using potent acid inhibitors, antibiotics against helicobacter pylori and plaunotol are being investigated.