Case ReportSevere Exacerbation of Asthma: A New Side Effect of Interferon-α in Patients With Asthma and Chronic Hepatitis C
Section snippets
Case 1
A 57-year-old man was referred to the gastroenterology clinic for evaluation of chronic hepatitis C, cryoglobulinemia, and membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis. Physical examination revealed a thin man with no jaundice and findings of tender hepatomegaly, lower extremity edema (3+), and palpable purpura of both lower extremities. Results of the cardiac and pulmonary examinations were normal.
The patient's past medical history was remarkable for hypertension and mild asthma. He had never been
DISCUSSION
Interferons are naturally occurring substances that were initially described for their ability to interfere with viral replication. They are a family of protein molecules (α, β and γ) that are produced in response to a wide range of stimuli. Interferons activate target cells by binding to specific receptors on the cell membrane. This results in the synthesis of effector proteins that mediate the varied actions of interferon.8 Interferon-α was the first cytokine to be synthesized by recombinant
SUMMARY
Interferon-α is being used more frequently and has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for numerous common medical disorders. Asthma, an extremely common disorder, affects between 9 and 12 million people in the United States.24 Fortunately, pulmonary complications associated with interferon-α therapy are uncommon. We believe that interferon-α caused an exacerbation of asthma in our two patients who had relatively quiescent pulmonary disease. All physicians and patients should be
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