Accidental exposure to HCV antibody-positive blood in hospital and pre-emptive one-shot interferon alpha-2b treatment.
OBJECTIVE
Infection with hepatitis viruses following blood exposure accidents, such as needle stick injuries, is a serious issue for medical staff. In particular, although accidental exposure to hepatitis C virus (HCV) occurs frequently, postexposure prophylactic measures have not been established yet. In this study we investigate the efficacy of recombinant alpha-2b interferon (IFN) as a single, 10 MU intramuscular injection for preventing transmission.


METHODS
264 incidents of accidental blood to HCV antibody-positive blood, occurring between 1993 and 2003 in the Social Insurance Chukyo Hospital, were surveyed. Accident reports, which described in detail the circumstances and the presence or absence of infectious disease in the blood, and accidental exposure to HCV antibody-positive blood was investigated.


RESULTS
Pre-emptive IFN treatment was given in 115 out of 157 cases occurring between 1993 and 1998. One case developed acute HCV. Phylogenetic analysis provided evidence that the accident caused the infection and the patient was cured by immediate IFN therapy. Between 1999 and 2003, the exposed were in principle followed-up without IFN treatment; IFN treatment was only given when requested. As a result, IFN was given in 14 of 107 cases. During this period, no transmission was observed.


CONCLUSIONS
Taken together, the benefits of pre-emptive IFN treatment were considered unremarkable and a follow-up without treatment, or immediate IFN therapy after confirmation of the onset, was recommended.
Nukaya
Haruhiko
H
Department of Gastroenterology, Social Insurance Chukyo Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
Ohno
Tomoyoshi
T
Sakakibara
Kenji
K
Kato
Atunaga
A
Hasegawa
Izumi
I
Matunaga
Seijiro
S
Endo
Masayuki
M
Tanaka
Yoshito
Y
Hirashima
Noboru
N
Tanaka
Yasuhito
Y
Orito
Etsuro
E
Joh
Takashi
T
Mizokami
Masashi
M