Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy after treatment with interferon-alpha

Intern Med. 2009;48(5):373-5. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.48.1616. Epub 2009 Mar 2.

Abstract

Interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha), though widely used for the treatment of chronic viral hepatitis, may be associated with the occurrence of autoimmune disorders. In this case report, a patient with chronic hepatitis C virus infection had chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) after the initiation of IFN-alpha therapy. The neurological symptoms of this patient continued to progress even though the treatment with IFN-alpha had been withdrawn; the symptoms improved dramatically following treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin. This case may therefore provide an important clue to understand the immune mechanism of CIDP and IFN-alpha.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Antiviral Agents / adverse effects*
  • Antiviral Agents / therapeutic use
  • Demyelinating Diseases / chemically induced*
  • Demyelinating Diseases / diagnosis
  • Demyelinating Diseases / drug therapy
  • Hepatitis C, Chronic / drug therapy
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulins / therapeutic use
  • Interferon-alpha / adverse effects*
  • Interferon-alpha / therapeutic use
  • Male
  • Polyneuropathies / chemically induced*
  • Polyneuropathies / diagnosis
  • Polyneuropathies / drug therapy

Substances

  • Antiviral Agents
  • Immunoglobulins
  • Interferon-alpha