PERIPHERAL ARTERIAL-OCCLUSION INDUCED BY INTERFERON-ALPHA

Background: The use of interferon-alpha (IFN-a) can apparently lead to arterial and venous occlusions. This fact, together with our own obse rvations, indicates a need to discuss the question of causality - not least for the purpose of identifying side-effects. Case Report: In a 4 0-year-old man with chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML), who had been treated for 21 months with recombinant IFN-ol and hydroxycarbamide, oc clusions of the dorsalis pedis and toe arteries developed. The results of examinations revealed no evidence of vasculitis or an embolism ori ginating in the heart or the aorta. None of the previous investigation s had reported any relationship between hydroxycarbamide and thrombosi s. Conclusion: In the literature, a procoagulant activity of the IFN-a lpha has been postulated to be the cause of arterial and venous occlus ions, the effect of which may be potentiated by the patient's underlyi ng malignant disease.