Pityriasis rosea associated with pegylated interferon alfa and ribavirin treatment in a patient with chronic hepatitis C

Rahmet Güner; Siran Keske; Imran Hasanoğlu; Mehmet Taşyaran

doi:10.5152/balkanmedj.2012.109

Pityriasis rosea associated with pegylated interferon alfa and ribavirin treatment in a patient with chronic hepatitis C

Balkan Med J. 2013 Jun;30(2):253-4. doi: 10.5152/balkanmedj.2012.109. Epub 2013 Jun 1.

Authors

Rahmet Güner¹, Siran Keske², Imran Hasanoğlu³, Mehmet Taşyaran¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Yıldırım Beyazıt University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
² Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Polatlı Duatepe State Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
³ Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Atatürk Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.

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.

Case report: 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.

Conclusion: 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.

Keywords: Pityriasis rosea; chronic hepatitis C; pegylated interferon alfa-2b; ribavirin.