title: Alpha-interferon in the treatment of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis.
abstract: Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis is an inexorably progressive disease with no effective therapy. Recent trials of intrathecal and intraventricular alpha-interferon yielded controversial results. We tried intrathecal or intraventricular alpha-interferon in four patients with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. None of them had evidence of improvement. We reviewed the previously published studies on the use of alpha-interferon in subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. Further international collaborative studies are needed to determine the role of alpha-interferon in the treatment of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Lebanon.
authors.forename: M N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Fayad
authors.forename: B I
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Yamout
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mroueh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D007278:Injections, Spinal; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D013344:Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D017211:Treatment Failure
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D016898:Interferon-alpha