title: Ischemic colitis during interferon-alpha treatment for chronic active hepatitis C.
abstract: Between 1991 and 1994, at Hoshigaoka Koseinenkin Hospital, we treated 280 patients with chronic hepatitis C with interferon (IFN), and ischemic colitis occurred in two patients (0.7%) during the treatment. Melena appeared in case 1 in the 2nd month after the initiation of IFN-alpha treatment, and in case 2 in the 6th month. In both patients, longitudinal ulcerations in the descending colon were revealed by urgent colonoscopy, and these resolved within 2 weeks after discontinuation of the IFN treatment. It appears that ischemic colitis was associated with the IFN treatment, suggesting that attention should be paid to this possible complication.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Hoshigaoka Koseinenkin Hospital, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tada
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saitoh
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakagawa
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hirana
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morimoto
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shima
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shimamoto
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okanoue
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kashima
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017091:Colitis, Ischemic / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D003106:Colon / Q000473:pathology; D003113:Colonoscopy; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000628:therapy*; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008551:Melena / Q000209:etiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011994:Recombinant Proteins
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins