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Thromb Haemost 2006; 95(02): 260-266
DOI: 10.1160/TH05-12-0781
Platelets and Blood Cells
Schattauer GmbH

Antiviral therapy decreases GpIIb/IIIa activation of platelets in patients with chronic hepatitis C

Wolfgang Sieghart
1   Department of Internal Medicine IV, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Vienna, Austria
2   Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
,
Monika Homoncik
1   Department of Internal Medicine IV, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Vienna, Austria
,
Bernd Jilma
2   Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
,
Elisabeth Formann
1   Department of Internal Medicine IV, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Vienna, Austria
,
Peter Ferenci
1   Department of Internal Medicine IV, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Vienna, Austria
,
Alfred Gangl
1   Department of Internal Medicine IV, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Vienna, Austria
,
Markus Peck-Radosavljevic
1   Department of Internal Medicine IV, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Vienna, Austria
› Author AffiliationsFinancial support: This study has been supported by the “medizinischwissenschaftlichen Fonds des Buergermeisters der Bundeshauptstadt Wien”.
Further Information

Publication History

Received 02 December 2005

Accepted after revision 16 January 2005

Publication Date:
28 November 2017 (online)

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Summary

Interferon alpha (IFN-α) is used to treat haematological and solid malignancies and is the gold standard therapy for chronic hepatitisC infection in combination with ribavirin. It has a well known platelet lowering effect and was recently shown to impair platelet aggregation in the presence of various agonists and has been accused to increase patients’ bleeding risk during IFN-α therapy. Thus, we hypothesised that antiviral treatment decreases GpIIb/IIIa activation and affects global platelet function. In a prospective clinical trial, we examined the effects of combination therapy with pegylated IFN-α 2a (PegIFN-α 2a) and ribavirin on platelet GpIIb/IIIa activation and platelet secretion in 20 patients with chronic hepatitis C at week 2, 4, 8 and 12 after the beginning of therapy. In addition, we determined global platelet function (CEPI-CT) with the PFA-100 and vWF-Ag levels. Antiviral therapy significantly decreased GpIIb/IIIa activation in a time dependent manner, whereas markers of platelet secretion (P-selectin, β-thromboglobulin) remained unchanged. Despite a marked elevation of vWF-Ag levels, CEPI-CT did not change compared to baseline levels. Antiviral therapy significantly decreases GpIIb/IIIa activation in patients with chronic hepatitis C, while vWG-Antigen levels are markedly increased and α-granule secretion is not affected. This does not result in an alteration of global platelet function as assessed by the PFA-100, because elevated vWF-Antigen levels might compensate for the acquired defect.

Keywords

Platelet activation markers - von Willebrand factor - clinical / epidemiological studies
 

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