A case of chronic hepatitis C with interstitial pneumonitis during interferon therapy

The patient was a 58-year-old male. On April, 1992, the diagnosis of chronic hepatitis(CAH2A) was made. Administration of interferon(IFN) α-2b 6 MU/day was commenced on June. Serum transaminase level normalized rapidly. However, 10 weeks after the start of IFN therapy, the patient complained of fever, chest pain and dry cough, and the blood gas analysis showed hypoxemia, and the chest X-ray film revealed reticulo-nodular shadow in both lower lung fields. Although IFN was stopped and antibiotics was given, his condition deteriorated. But, after he was treated with high-dose intravenous bolus infusions of methyl-prednisolone, his complaints, laboratory data and chest X-ray findings dramatically improved. In view of the clinical course, we suspected this case as interstitial pnuemonitis due to IFN.