New-onset psoriasis following treatment with pegylated interferon-alpha 2b and ribavirin for chronic hepatitis C.

摘要

Hepatitis C virus infection, a major global health problem with an estimated 170 million individuals with chronic infection around the world, is the leading cause of chronic liver disease. The importance of treating HCV infection is to prevent hepatocellular carcinoma and liver cirrhosis, the leading causes of liver transplantation in the United States and Western Europe. Interferon-alpha, a known treatment for HCV infection, works by modulating immune function through action on natural killer cells and enhancement of the CD8+ cytotoxic T cell response by up-regulation of the expression of major histocompatibility complex class I molecules on cells surface (including hepatic cells). It also disrupts replication of HCV by induction of antiviral protein synthesis in responsive cells, thus lowering the viral load. Pegylated IFNa is more effective than standard IFNalpha due to its increased serum half-life, which results in higher peak levels and more sustained exposure to the drug.