[Effect of interferon-alpha on the platelet aggregation and cyclic nucleotide system in chronic viral hepatitis].

Platelet aggregation (PA) and the content of cyclic nucleotides (CN) was studied in a group of 44 patients with chronic viral hepatitis (CVH) and liver cirrhosis (LC) in comparison to 10 healthy volunteers. The analyses were performed before and 6 h after interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) administration. The CN content was increased in CVH cases and was maximum in LC patients, while the platelet aggregation was reduced in CVH patients and was minimum in the LC group. The CN level increased and the functional activity of platelets decreased, depending on the degree of disorder. After the first introduction of IFN-alpha, the CN content in thrombocytes decreased in LC and low-PA CVH patients, but increased in high-PA CVH cases. IFN-alpha produced a normalizing effect on the platelet functioning in the patients with CVH and LC.