Case Report
Copyright ©2006 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jul 14, 2006; 12(26): 4253-4255
Published online Jul 14, 2006. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v12.i26.4253
Systemic lupus erythematosus following virological response to peginterferon alfa-2b in a transplanted patient with chronic hepatitis C recurrence
Francesca Lodato, Maria Rosa Tamé, Antonio Colecchia, Chiara Racchini, Francesco Azzaroli, Antonia D’Errico, Silvia Casanova, Antonio Pinna, Enrico Roda, Giuseppe Mazzella
Francesca Lodato, Maria Rosa Tamé, Antonio Colecchia, Chiara Racchini, Francesco Azzaroli, Enrico Roda, Giuseppe Mazzella, Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, University of Bologna, Italy
Antonia D’Errico, Silvia Casanova, Department of Experimental Pathology, “F. Addari” Institute of Oncology, University of Bologna, Italy
Antonio Pinna, Department of Surgery and Transplantation, Sant’Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University of Bologna, Italy
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Dr. Francesca Lodato, Dipartimento di Medicina Interna e Gastroenterologia, U.O. di Gastroenterologia, Via Massarenti 9, Bologna 40138, Italy. francesca.lodato@inwind.it
Telephone: +39-51-6363376 Fax: +39-51-6364120
Received: November 3, 2005
Revised: December 1, 2005
Accepted: December 7, 2005
Published online: July 14, 2006
Abstract

Autoimmune manifestations are common both in patients chronically infected by hepatitis C virus, and in patients transplanted for non-autoimmune diseases. A correlation between interferon based treatment and autoimmune diseases or the development of autoantibodies is well established in non-transplanted patients, but few data are available about transplanted patients. It is unclear whether interferon may increase the incidence of acute cellular rejection and there are few reports on the development of atypical autoimmune manifestations during post-liver transplantation interferon or pegylated interferon treatment. We describe a case of systemic lupus erythematosus following treatment with pegylated interferon alfa-2b in a transplanted patient with recurrence of chronic hepatitis C. Our experience suggest that pegylated interferon may induce autoimmune diseases in the immunosuppressed host, different from acute cellular rejection and call for a great attention to possible autoimmune disorders development during interferon based treatments in liver transplanted patients.

Keywords: Hepatitis C virus; Liver transplantation; Autoimmunity; Immunosuppression; Systemic lupus erythematosus