INCIDENCE OF ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHIC ABNORMALITIES DURING TREATMENT WITHHUMAN-LEUKOCYTE INTERFERON-ALPHA IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HEPATITIS-CBUT WITHOUT PREEXISTING CARDIOVASCULAR-DISEASE

In several clinical settings, interferons (IFNs) have been associated with an increased incidence of cardiovascular side effects and adverse reactions. Accordingly, the aim of the present study was to assess th e incidence of electrocardiographic abnormalities during long-term the rapy with human leukocyte IFN-alfa in a cohort of 89 consecutive patie nts (51 men and 38 women; mean age, 43.1 +/- 11.4 years) affected by c hronic hepatitis C but without preexisting cardiovascular disease. All patients included in the study were followed up for 12 months during treatment with 3 million international units of human leukocyte IFN-al fa administered parenterally three times a meek. During therapy, no si gnificant side effects or adverse reactions were noted. However, 3 pat ients developed an intraventricular conduction defect (right bundle br anch block in 2 patients and left anterior hemiblock in 1 patient), an d 2 patients showed unifocal premature ventricular contractions in rep eated electrocardiographic examinations. The low incidence (5 [5.6%] o f 89 patients) of nonspecific electrocardiographic abnormalities in ou r study population during IFN-alfa treatment supports the tolerability and clinical effectiveness of this drug for long-term treatment of pa tients with chronic hepatitis C.