[Serious side-effects of interferon alfa and ribavirin combination therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C].
At present standard treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C is combined therapy with interferon-alpha and ribavirin which so far gives the best results. It is recommended in patients with resistance to interferon or a relapse after termination of treatment by interferon alone as well as in hitherto untreated patients. Combined treatment produces, however, not only common side-effects which are caused by interferon as well as ribavirin but rarely also serious side-effects produced by combined treatment which call for premature termination of therapy. The authors present an account on two patients who had serious side-effects during combined treatment: the first one was an intravenous drug addict who developed psychosis during combined treatment, the second one a female patient with cirrhosis and incipient portal hypertension who developed after nine months of combined treatment a severe biochemical relapse with jaundice, and treatment was also terminated. Both serious complications after treatment receded and in the first patient a sustained response to antiviral therapy persists for more than one year.
Stránský
J
J
I. interní klinika Fakultní nemocnice Královské Vinohrady, Praha.
Skrivánková
J
J
D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D007565:Jaundice / Q000139:chemically induced; D008297:Male; D011605:Psychoses, Substance-Induced / Q000209:etiology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012254:Ribavirin