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    World J Gastroenterol. 2008 Jan 14;14(2):318-21.

    Acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy associated with pegylated interferon alpha 2a therapy for chronic hepatitis C virus infection.

    Khiani V, Kelly T, Shibli A, Jensen D, Mohanty SR.

    Department of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.

    The combination of pegylated interferon (Peg-IFN) and ribavirin is the standard of care for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection treatment. In general, common side effects related to this combination therapy are mild and are very well tolerated. However, peripheral neuropathy including demyelinating polyneuropathy related to Peg-IFN is extremely rare. We present the first case of an acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (AIDP) associated with Peg-IFN-alpha 2a (Pegasys) after 16 wk of a combination therapy with Pegasys and ribavirin in a 65-year-old woman with chronic HCV infection. She developed tingling, numbness, and weakness of her upper and lower extremities and was hospitalized for acute neurological deficits. Her clinical course, neurological findings, an electromyogram (EMG), nerve conductions studies (NCS), muscle biopsy, and a sural nerve biopsy were all consistent with AIDP likely related to Pegasys use. The patient recovered completely with the use of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) including physical therapy and neurological rehabilitation. It is very important that gastroenterologists and/or hepatologists recognize this rare neurological complication related to Peg-IFN treatment very early, since it requires a prompt discontinuation of therapy including an immediate referral to a neurologist for the confirmation of diagnosis, management, and the prevention of long-term neurological deficits.

    PMID: 18186575 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

    PMCID: 2675134

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    Patient drug information

    • Ribavirin (Copegus®, Rebetol®)

      Ribavirin is used with another medication called an interferon to treat hepatitis C. Ribavirin is in a class of antiviral medications called nucleoside analogues. It works by stopping the virus that causes hepatitis C fr...

    • Peginterferon alfa-2a (Pegasys®)

      Peginterferon alfa-2a is used alone or in combination with ribavirin (a medication) to treat chronic (long-term) hepatitis C infection (swelling of the liver caused by a virus) in people who show signs of liver damage an...