Side effects of the hepatitis C treatment at the ABC application center.

Objective: To review and compare side effects of hepatitis C treatment with pegylated interferon and ribavirin at the CRIE of the Hospital Mário Covas (Santo André), São Paulo, Brazil, from February 23 to May 5, 2011.

Methods: Cross-sectional study through questionnaire, with a non-probability sample comprised of 340 patients that had received at least one dose of the medication.

Results: Side effects presented were fatigue (82.9%), arthralgia and/or myalgia (76.8%), weight loss (71.8%), headache (67.6%), listlessness (65.9%), depression and/or irritability (64.4%), itching (60.6%), fever (59.1%), alopecia (51.5%), dry cough (34.1%), nausea (11.7%), inappetence (11.7%), and dizziness (7.9%). Up to 19 symptoms were reported during treatment. Only four patients (1.2%) did not present side effects. When comparing the types of interferon, it was observed that alpha-2b caused an average of 8.01 symptoms per patient, while alpha-2a was responsible for an average of 7.50 symptoms. Patients using interferon alpha-2b showed more fever, weight loss, headache, arthralgia and/or myalgia, fatigue, listlessness, depression and/or irritability, and dry cough than patients using alpha-2a, who had more alopecia and itching.

Conclusion: The study shows a high morbidity related to the treatment, as only 1.2% of the patients showed no side effects. In the sample, the pegylated interferon alpha-2b was responsible for higher prevalence of fever and weight loss when compared to alpha-2a, and this was a statistically significant relation (p < 0.05).