Korean J Med.  2009 Apr;76(Suppl 1):S10-S14.

Permanent sudden hearing loss associated with peginterferon and ribavirin combination therapy during hepatitis C treatment

• Seo JA
• Moon SS
• Kang HG
• Kim HJ
• Park SJ
• Lee YJ
• Seol SY

Abstract

Peginterferon and ribavirin combination therapy for chronic hepatitis C is associated with major adverse effects, and systemic side effects are common. However, little is known about the influence of peginterferon on hearing loss, although it has been described as a rare complication of standard interferon. A 65-year-old man with chronic hepatitis C (genotype 2) developed sudden unilateral right-sided hearing loss just after finishing 24 weeks of treatment with peginterferon alpha 2a (180 microg/week) and ribavirin (800 mg/day). The audiological examination revealed a right-sided sensorineural hearing loss. Auditory brain-stem response measures confirmed the diagnosis. The hearing loss did not respond to corticosteroid therapy. The auditory disability remained unchanged 12 months after the end of treatment, although no HCV RNA was detectable 24 weeks after the end of treatment. We report a patient who developed irreversible hearing loss just after completing treatment with peginterferon and ribavirin

Keyword

Chronic hepatitis C; Peginterferon; Sudden hearing loss

MeSH Terms

Aged
Hearing Loss
Hearing Loss, Sensorineural
Hearing Loss, Sudden
Hepatitis
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C, Chronic
Humans
Interferons
Ribavirin
RNA
Interferons
RNA
Ribavirin