title: Combined oral isoprinosine-intraventricular alpha-interferon therapy for subacute sclerosing panencephalitis.
abstract: Eighteen patients, 16 boys and 2 girls, aged 5-14 years, with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) were treated with oral isoprinosine (100 mg/kg/day) and intraventricular alpha-interferon 2b (Intron A, Schering Corp.), starting at 500,000 U twice a week and later increasing to 3 million U biweekly. Minimal follow-up of living patients is 12 months; maximal 40 months. On the basis of the Neurological Disability Index (NDI) scores and staging, 8 have treatment-induced remissions (3 improved, 5 arrested), 4 are worse and 6 died. This 44% (8/18) rate of remission/improvement compares well with the 9% (1/11) remission in historical controls in the same institution (p = < 0.05) and 5% spontaneous remission in the literature. Combined oral isoprinosine-intraventricular alpha-interferon appears to be an effective treatment for SSPE.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gascon
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamani
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Crowell
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Stigsby
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nester
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kanaan
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jallu
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D007542:Inosine Pranobex / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D013344:Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D007542:Inosine Pranobex