Abstract
IFN-α has antiviral, immunomodulatory and antitumor activity, and thus can be effectively used for treating viral hepatitis and hematological malignancies. We describe here an 8-year-old boy with symptoms suggestive of chronic active EBV infection treated with IFN-α. He had been suffering from recurrent fever, hepatosplenomegaly and pancytopenia for 3 years and a novel herpesvirus, human herpesvirus-7, was isolated from peripheral blood lymphocytes during the clinical symptoms, but subsequently became ineffective. Recombinant interferon-α (IFN-α) was thus administered in consideration of antiviral activity starting from September 1993. However, unusual and life-threatening side effects of this drug, interstitial pneumonitis and renal disturbance, developed with hypercytokinemia after 2 months. These side effects were eliminated through surfactant replacement and plasma exchange.
