Open AccessFulminant hepatic failure in a case of autoimmune hepatitis in hepatitis C during peg-interferon-alpha 2b plus ribavirin treatment
Author(s) -
Takayuki Kogure
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
world journal of gastroenterology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.427
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 2219-2840
pISSN - 1007-9327
DOI - 10.3748/wjg.v13.i32.4394
Subject(s) - ribavirin , medicine , pegylated interferon , autoimmune hepatitis , fulminant hepatic failure , hepatitis c virus , liver biopsy , fulminant , gastroenterology , hepatitis c , alpha interferon , immunology , fulminant hepatitis , hepatitis , virology , interferon , virus , biopsy , liver transplantation , transplantation
A 27-year-old Caucasian female with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection treated with interferon (IFN) who developed severe autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is described. The infecting viral strain was of genotype Ib and the pre-treatment HCV viral load was at a high level. The patient was treated with pegylated IFN-alpha 2b and ribavirin, and her HCV-RNA became negative at wk 12, but after that she developed fulminant hepatic failure. The patient recovered after steroid pulse therapy consisting of methylprednisolone 1000 mg/d for three days which was administered twice. A needle liver biopsy revealed the typical pathological findings of AIH.