Systemic Sclerosis after Interferon Alphacon-1 Therapy for Hepatitis C

Hiroki Tahara; Akira Kojima; Tomoyuki Hirokawa; Tatsuya Oyama; Atsushi Naganuma; Sakae Maruta; Katsuyuki Okada; Satoshi Ban; Katsue Yoshida; Hitoshi Takagi; Masatomo Mori

doi:10.2169/internalmedicine.46.6328

CASE REPORTS

Systemic Sclerosis after Interferon Alphacon-1 Therapy for Hepatitis C

Hiroki Tahara, Akira Kojima, Tomoyuki Hirokawa, Tatsuya Oyama, Atsushi Naganuma, Sakae Maruta, Katsuyuki Okada, Satoshi Ban, Katsue Yoshida, Hitoshi Takagi, Masatomo Mori

Author information

Hiroki Tahara
Department of Internal Medicine, Kiryu Kosei General Hospital, Kiryu
Akira Kojima
Department of Internal Medicine, Kiryu Kosei General Hospital, Kiryu
Tomoyuki Hirokawa
Department of Internal Medicine, Kiryu Kosei General Hospital, Kiryu
Tatsuya Oyama
Department of Internal Medicine, Kiryu Kosei General Hospital, Kiryu
Atsushi Naganuma
Department of Internal Medicine, Kiryu Kosei General Hospital, Kiryu
Sakae Maruta
Department of Internal Medicine, Kiryu Kosei General Hospital, Kiryu
Katsuyuki Okada
Department of Dermatology, Kiryu Kosei General Hospital, Kiryu
Satoshi Ban
Department of Pathology, Kiryu Kosei General Hospital, Kiryu
Katsue Yoshida
Department of Pathology, Kiryu Kosei General Hospital, Kiryu
Hitoshi Takagi
Department of Medicine and Molecular Science, Gunma University School of Medicine, Maebashi
Masatomo Mori
Department of Medicine and Molecular Science, Gunma University School of Medicine, Maebashi

Keywords: systemic sclerosis, interferon alphacon-1 therapy, consensus interferon, chronic hepatitis C

JOURNAL OPEN ACCESS

2007 Volume 46 Issue 8 Pages 473-476

DOI https://doi.org/10.2169/internalmedicine.46.6328

Details

Abstract

A 66-year-old woman developed systemic sclerosis (SSc) after receiving interferon alphacon-1 (IFNαcon-1;consensus interferon) therapy for chronic hepatitis C. She suffered from Raynauds phenomenon about 1 year after a course of IFNαcon-1 therapy. The combination of proximal scleroderma, Raynauds phenomenon, and ANA positivity led to a diagnosis of systemic sclerosis (SSc). IFN has multiple effects on the immune system and is known to trigger the development of autoantibodies, as well as the onset or exacerbation of autoimmune disease. We suspect that the immunomodulatory effects of IFNαcon-1 triggered the clinical manifestations of SSc in this patient. To our knowledge this is only the third case of SSc after IFNα therapy, and it is the first case associated with IFNαcon-1 therapy.

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