抄録
We report of interferon-β (IFN-β) therapy with or without ribavirin in five patients with chronic hepatitis and mental disorder. Two of three patients diagnosed with depression and one of two patients diagnosed with chronic schizophrenic psychosis had developed a viral response after IFN-β therapy. Symptoms of depression or psychosis are well-known side effects of IFN-α therapy. Therefore, patients with mental disorders are often hesitant toward receiving interferon therapy. Direct acting antivirals (DAAs) will probably become mainstream therapy for IFN-α intolerant patients in the near future. However, the risk of developing mutations related to drug resistance should not be neglected. Therefore, experience with IFN-β therapy used as an alternative to DAAs is required.
