Table 2.
Adverse effects of interferon and ribavirin
| Interferon |
| Common (≥10%) |
| Mild bone marrow suppression (anaemia, leucopaenia, thrombocytopaenia) |
| Depression |
| Insomnia |
| Fatigue and irritability |
| Weight loss/anorexia |
| Fever, myalgia, headaches, and flu-like symptoms |
| Injection-site irritation |
| Nausea/vomiting and diarrhoea |
| Occasional (2–9%) |
| Retinopathy (usually not clinically significant) |
| Exacerbation of autoimmune condition (e.g. hepatitis, thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis) |
| Congestive heart failure and arrhythmias |
| Rare (≤1%) |
| Severe bone marrow depression |
| Seizures |
| Tinnitus and hearing loss |
| Hyperglycaemia |
| Renal failure |
| Pneumonitis |
| Ribavirin |
| Common (≥10%) |
| Haemolytic anaemia (dose dependent) |
| Fatigue |
| Rash and pruritis |
| Nasal stuffiness |
| Cough |
‘Hepatitis C: a review for primary care physicians’. Adapted from CMAJ; 174: 649–659 by permission from the publisher. © Canadian Medical Association (107).