title: Peripheral neuropathy during alpha-interferon therapy in a child with Hodgkin's disease.
abstract: Peripheral neuropathy is one of the rarely reported neurological complications of interferon therapy. The authors report such a case in a 15-year-old boy during alpha-interferon therapy for Hodgkin's disease. He received alpha-interferon at a dose of 1.8 million units/day 5 times a week by subcutaneous injections as adjuvant immunotherapy post autologous stem cell transplant. Twenty months after the initiation of therapy, he complained of severe pain in his lower distal extremities. Neurological examination revealed the absence of deep tendon reflexes. A nerve conduction study showed a sensorial, polyneuropathic involvement in the lower extremities. Within 4 weeks after the stopping of interferon, his pain improved, and recovery was also seen by nerve conduction studies. Symptoms reappeared at the resumption of interferon treatment. This study suggests that peripheral neuropathy may rarely occur in patients given long-term interferon treatment at high cumulative dosage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Oncology, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Emir
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kutluk
authors.forename: K W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yalçin
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Varli
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Büyükpamukçu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced*
chemical_list: D016898:Interferon-alpha