Tolerance of interferon-alpha therapy in children with chronic hepatitis B.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the side-effects of interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) therapy in children with chronic hepatitis B.

METHODS: This prospective study was performed on one hundred children by interviewing the patients and their parents; clinical examinations and laboratory investigations were performed during and after therapy.

RESULTS: The most frequent side-effects of IFN-alpha therapy were fever, flu-like symptoms, and headaches. Lowering of the mean haemoglobin level, leukocyte and platelet count was significant, but transient during INF-alpha treatment. No increase in autoantibody titres or significant alterations in thyroid function was observed. Twelve months after treatment, hepatitis Be antigen (HBeAg) elimination and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) normalization was achieved in 46% of the children; HBeAg and hepatatis B surface antigen (HBsAg) elimination, together with ALT normalization, was achieved in 14% of the cases.

CONCLUSION: The side-effects of the IFN-alpha therapy in children such as fever, flu-like symptoms and bone marrow suppression are common, but transient and mild.