title: Pityriasis rosea associated with pegylated interferon alfa and ribavirin treatment in a patient with chronic hepatitis C.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pityriasis rosea is an acute inflamatory skin disease that the etiology is unknown but some viral agents like human herpes virus-6 and 7 and drugs are suspected.
  
  
  METHODS
  A-58-year-old man with chronic hepatitis C was being followed up in our hospital. Pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) alfa-2b (100 μg per week) and ribavirin (1000 mg/day) was started. In the third month of this treatment, the patient was diagnosed with pityriasis rosea (PR), which was confirmed by skin biopsy. PEG-IFN alfa-2b treatment for chronic hepatitis C was maintained and no therapy was given for PR. The lesions spontaneously improved within 5 weeks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Interferon and ribavirin have several cutaneous side effects. Our case is the first case of PR, emerged in a patient with chronic hepatitis C while receiving PEG-IFN alfa 2b and ribavirin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Yıldırım Beyazıt University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Rahmet
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Güner
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Polatlı Duatepe State Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Siran
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Keske
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Atatürk Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Imran
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hasanoğlu
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Yıldırım Beyazıt University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taşyaran
keywords: Pityriasis rosea; chronic hepatitis C; pegylated interferon alfa-2b; ribavirin