Organizing pneumonia causing severe respiratory failure as a complication of interferon-α therapy

Abstract

Abstract Chronic hepatitis C infection is highly prevalent in Egypt. Pegylated interferon-α (in addition to ribavirin) is the standard medication and it is increasingly being used. Despite being very uncommon, interferon therapy has been associated with a plethora of pleuropulmonary complications ranging from mild asthma exacerbation to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and death. This is a report of a case of organizing pneumonia occurring in the course of interferon therapy that has been complicated with severe respiratory failure. The pulmonary lesions have miraculously resolved after 10 days of corticosteroid therapy.

Keywords

• drug-induced respiratory disease
• interferon-α
• interstitial pneumonitis
• organizing pneumonia
• hepatitis C