INTERFERON-INDUCED ANOSMIA IN A PATIENT WITH CHRONIC HEPATITIS-C

We report a patient with chronic active hepatitis developing acute ano smia during interferon (IFN) therapy, On July 31, he began receiving 5 MU of IFN-alpha daily, On September 26, he failed to smell gas leakin g from a gas cooker, so IFN therapy was discontinued, He showed no rea ction on a standard olfactory acuity test, As the patient had borderli ne diabetes, the association of anosmia viith impaired glucose toleran ce cannot completely he excluded, hut his anosmia was probably induced by IFN therapy, since anosmia developed 10 days after the initiation of the IFN therapy, without any deterioration of his glucose intoleran ce, (C) 1998 by Am. Coll. of Gastroenterology.