Fatigue interferon-induced

Adverse Effects Adverse effects are common with the beta interferons (Table 26-3). Commonly, flulike symptoms consist of fever, fatigue, muscle aches, malaise, and chills. Symptoms begin a few hours after the injection and dissipate 8 to 24 hours later.38 Preventive measures can be employed (Table 26-4). In temperature-sensitive patients, beta interferon-induced fever... 

The most frequent adverse effects are flu-like symptoms increased body temperature, feeling ill, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, convulsion, dizziness, hair thinning and depression. Erythema, pain and hardness on the spot of injection are also frequently observed. Interferon therapy may cause immunosuppression. Also various interferon induced autoimmune syndromes were reported. 

About 10% to 25% of patients treated with interferon and ribavirin require dosage reductions when hemoglobin levels decrease or they develop intolerable symptoms such as shortness of breath or severe fatigue. If warranted, erythropoietin may be used as adjunctive therapy for ribavirin-induced hemolytic anemia.45... 

This topic is covered in depth in another chapter. Hov ever, briefly, therapy vdth interferon has been show n to induce many symptoms of depression, including fatigue, depressed mood, psychomotor retardation, social withdrawal, and impaired... 

Adverse reactions are common and include an influenza-like syndrome (naturally-produced interferon may cause symptoms in natural influenza infection), fatigue and depression which respond to lowering the dose. Other effects are emorexia (sufficient to induce weight loss), convulsions, hypotension, hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias and bone marrow depression. Interferons inhibit the metabolism of theophylline, increasing its effect. 

The use of intraspinal interferon alfa (1 MU three times a week for 4 weeks) in 22 patients with neoplastic meningitis was associated with frequent adverse effects that mostly manifested as chronic fatigue syndrome in 91% of patients (severe in 45%) and arachnoiditis in 73% (severe in 9%) (402). Interferon alfa-induced immune dysregulation in an immunologically predisposed patient was suggested to account for this complication. 

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