Professional Documents
Culture Documents
2001
Abstract
Interferon (IFN) therapy has been used for the treatment of common diseases such as hepatitis
C, myeloproliferative disorders, autoimmune diseases and various types of cancer. Given the
biological properties of interferon, it is not surprising that there are a larger number of side
effects due to its use. Although rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the most common
autoimmune diseases found in clinical practice, it does not seem to be frequently related to
IFN therapy. We report a 40-year-old female patient who, after high doses of IFN-alpha
therapy for malignant melanoma, developed symmetrical polyarthritis, with pain and oedema
in small and large joints, associated with prolonged morning stiffness. She had positive
rheumatoid factor and DR4 HLA phenotype. She was treated with deflazacort (6 mg/day),
chloroquine and NSAIDs, with a partial response. In conclusion, although the development of
RA after IFN therapy is a rare event, IFN may work as a 'trigger' for such complication, leading
to deregulation in the immune cascade in a person genetically predisposed.
Abstract
We describe a patient with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and a patient with hairy cell
leukemia being effectively treated with alpha-interferon who developed a seropositive chronic
polyarthritis formally fulfilling the ACR criteria for rheumatoid arthritis. Because of its efficacy,
interferon was not discontinued, and the arthritis treated with low-dose prednisolone or
NSAIDS. These are the 19th and 20th case of symmetrical polyarthritis during alpha-interferon
therapy fulfilling the criteria for RA. The possible mechanisms of the relatively frequent
appearance of autoimmune diseases during interferon therapy are discussed.
Abstracto
Describimos a un paciente con leucemia mielógena crónica (LMC) y un paciente con leucemia
de células pilosas que se trata eficazmente con interferón alfa que desarrolló una poliartritis
crónica seropositiva que cumple formalmente los criterios de ACR para la artritis reumatoide.
Debido a su eficacia, el interferón no se interrumpió y la artritis se trató con dosis bajas de
prednisolona o AINE. Estos son los casos 19 y 20 de poliartritis simétrica durante la terapia con
interferón alfa que cumplen los criterios para la AR. Se discuten los posibles mecanismos de la
aparición relativamente frecuente de enfermedades autoinmunes durante la terapia con
interferón.
Abstract
Abstracto