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Peripheral neurotoxicity of pegylated interferon alpha

A prospective study in patients with HCV

From the Departments of Neurosciences (C.B., G.Z., M.E., S.R., E.T., L.B.) and Clinical and Experimental Medicine (L.C., E.B., A.G., L.C.), University of Padova, and IRCCS San Camillo Hospital, Venice, Italy (LB).

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Chiara Briani, Department of Neurosciences, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani, 5, 35128 Padova, Italy; e-mail: chiara.briani{at}unipd.it

Objective: To assess whether pegylated interferon alpha (PEG-IFN) may induce peripheral neuropathy or antibodies to peripheral nerve antigens in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

Methods: We studied 52 patients with HCV (38 men, 14 women; mean age 44.6 ± 10.6 years) treated with IFN. Before therapy (T₀), patients underwent quantitative viral RNA determination, HCV genotype analysis, and neurologic and electrophysiologic evaluation. At the end (T₁) and after therapy (T₂), patients were neurologically and electrophysiologically re-evaluated. Antibodies to gangliosides and sulfatides were assayed by ELISA at T₀ and T₁. Twenty-three patients with HCV with comparable age, viral load, and genotype, not treated with IFN, were studied as controls.

Results: Seven patients (six in IFN, one control) had peripheral neuropathy at recruitment. No significant differences in the electrophysiologic measures were detected between T₀ and T₁ (repeated-measures analysis of variance [ANOVA]) in any of the 52 patients or in those with neuropathy at T₀. No changes were found at T₂, independent of the viral response to treatment. Two patients, one with neuropathy, had antiganglioside antibodies at recruitment. Two patients, one not treated with IFN, developed low antibody titers during follow-up, without symptoms or signs of neuropathy.

Conclusions: Pegylated interferon alpha therapy was not associated with the occurrence (or worsening) of peripheral neuropathy or antibodies to peripheral nerve antigens in patients with hepatitis C virus.

Supported by IRCCS San Camillo Hospital, Venice, Italy.

Disclosure: The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Received January 13, 2006. Accepted in final form May 1, 2006.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				F. Gemignani, A. Marbini, and C. Briani PERIPHERAL NEUROTOXICITY OF PEGYLATED INTERFERON ALPHA: A PROSPECTIVE STUDY IN PATIENTS WITH HCV Neurology, May 1, 2007; 68(18): 1543 - 1544. [Full Text] [PDF]

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