title: Side effects of the hepatitis C treatment at the ABC application center.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review and compare side effects of hepatitis C treatment with pegylated interferon and ribavirin at the CRIE of the Hospital Mário Covas (Santo André), São Paulo, Brazil, from February 23 to May 5, 2011.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study through questionnaire, with a non-probability sample comprised of 340 patients that had received at least one dose of the medication.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Side effects presented were fatigue (82.9%), arthralgia and/or myalgia (76.8%), weight loss (71.8%), headache (67.6%), listlessness (65.9%), depression and/or irritability (64.4%), itching (60.6%), fever (59.1%), alopecia (51.5%), dry cough (34.1%), nausea (11.7%), inappetence (11.7%), and dizziness (7.9%). Up to 19 symptoms were reported during treatment. Only four patients (1.2%) did not present side effects. When comparing the types of interferon, it was observed that alpha-2b caused an average of 8.01 symptoms per patient, while alpha-2a was responsible for an average of 7.50 symptoms. Patients using interferon alpha-2b showed more fever, weight loss, headache, arthralgia and/or myalgia, fatigue, listlessness, depression and/or irritability, and dry cough than patients using alpha-2a, who had more alopecia and itching.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study shows a high morbidity related to the treatment, as only 1.2% of the patients showed no side effects. In the sample, the pegylated interferon alpha-2b was responsible for higher prevalence of fever and weight loss when compared to alpha-2a, and this was a statistically significant relation (p < 0.05).
authors.affiliation: Reference Center for Special Immunobiologicals (CRIE) of Hospital Estadual Mário Covas, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. thamyjay@gmail.com
authors.forename: Thamy Jay
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: Paulo Henrique Schmidt
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Lara
authors.forename: Tauy Pereira
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Morimoto
authors.forename: Mauricio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Higasiaraguti
authors.forename: Andréia Maruzo
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Perejão
authors.forename: Munir Akar
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ayub
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000009:adverse effects; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000009:adverse effects*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D012254:Ribavirin; C417083:peginterferon alfa-2b; C100416:peginterferon alfa-2a