Intraocular complications of IFN-alpha and ribavirin therapy in patients with chronic viral hepatitis C.
We report a panel of severe inflammatory and vascular intraocular disorders occurring during interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) treatment in eight hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients. These events include three cases of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada like (VKH) disease (an association of panuveitis, retinal detachment, ear and meningeal detachment and skin and hair changes), two cases of central retinal vein occlusion, one case of central retinal artery occlusion, one case of severe hypertensive retinopathy and one case of bilateral ischemic optic neuropathy with severe visual impairment. Rare as they are, such severe ophthalmological complications require a close follow-up of HCV-infected patients under IFN-alpha treatment with ophthalmological monitoring if any ocular manifestation occurs.
Sene
Damien
D
Department of Internal Medicine, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.
Touitou
Valerie
V
Bodaghi
Bahram
B
Saadoun
David
D
Perlemuter
Gabriel
G
Cassoux
Nathalie
N
Piette
Jean-Charles
JC
Hoang
Phuc-Le
PL
Cacoub
Patrice
P
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018917:Optic Neuropathy, Ischemic / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis; D012170:Retinal Vein Occlusion / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014607:Uveomeningoencephalitic Syndrome / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012254:Ribavirin