[A case of chronic hepatitis C complicated by ischemia-like changes seen on the electrocardiogram during interferon treatment].

Abstract

A 53-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital for chest pain with headache, nausea and vomiting, two and a half hours after an intramuscular injection of 6 x 10(6) units of IFN (interferon) alpha 2a, in the 11th week of IFN treatment for chronic hepatitis C. The electrocardiogram (ECG) showed ST depression and T inversion in leads II, III, aVF and V3-V6, as commonly seen in myocardial ischemia. However, emergency coronary angiography (CAG) did not show stenosis or spasms clearly, serum CPK was always within the normal limits, Tc-99m PYP scintigraphy and T1-201 scintigraphy did not show any abnormal uptake or defect, and the echocardiogram did not show any abnormality. She recovered from chest pain and the ischemia-like changes seen on the ECG, after IFN treatment was stopped, and she rested for 7 days from this treatment and other treatment using nitrites and a calcium-antagonist. After recovery, the ECG during exercise and hyperventilation showed changes similar to those seen on admission. From these findings, this case was considered to be precipitated by spasms of coronary microvessels, which were not noticeable in CAG. The cause was thought to be complicated by IFN treatment, because this episode appeared after IFN injection, and improved after stopping IFN treatment.