Successful natural interferon-P plus ribavirin therapy in a chronic hepatitis C patient after discontinuation of interferon-alpha treatment due to arrhythmia and interstitial pneumonia

摘要

A 71-year-old female patient with hepatitis C virus genotype 1 had previously discontinued interferon (IFN)-a plus ribavirin therapy, pegylated IFN-alpha (peglFN-a) monotherapy, and natural IFN-alpha monotherapy because of arrhythmia, interstitial pneumonia, and severe neuro-vegetative symptoms. She subsequently completed 72 weeks of natural IFN-beta plus ribavirin therapy without remarkable adverse effects and achieved a sustained viral response, suggesting differences in the pharmacological properties and biological effects of IFN-alpha and IFN-beta Thus, natural IFN-beta plus ribavirin therapy may be a treatment option for patients with poor tolerance to IFN-alpha or peglFN-a treatments.