The first case of hepatitis B-associated membranous glomerulonephritis was described by Combes et al. in 1971 (1). Since that time, numerous other cases have been reported and were reviewed recently (2). In many cases, HBsAg or HBeAg has been detected in immune complexes along the glomerular capillary wall. Treatment with human leukocyte interferon in patients with hepatitis B can be associated with loss of HBcAg, HBeAg and in some cases HBsAg from serum or liver of treated patients (3). This report describes two patients with membranous glomerulonephritis treated with human leukocyte interferon.
Methods
Leukocyte interferon was prepared by Dr. Kari Cantell at the Finnish Red Cross in Helsinki, Finland and had a specific activity of 2 x lo6 unit per mg protein. Serum albumin and urine protein concentration were determined by the autoanalyzer using standard methods. Hepatitis B virus-associated DNA polymerase activity was assayed by the method of Marion et al. (4). HBsAg titers were determined by radioimmunoassay in serially diluted samples of serum (AUSRIA 11, Abbott Diagnostics, North Chicago, Ill.). HBeAg and anti-HBe were assayed by a direct solid-phase enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (Abbott).
CASE REPORTS CASE 1
This patient was a 27-year-old man with chronic glomerulonephritis. He presented in December, 1980 with a