Objective: This study was designed to determine the effect of 12-week pegylated IFNalpha plus ribavirin (peg-IFNalpha/RBV) treatment on cognitive performance in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients.
Method: Forty-seven CHC patients were consecutively enrolled and divided into two groups: active treatment and control (26 and 21 participants, respectively). Treatment-group patients received peg-IFNalpha/RBV treatment for 48 weeks in standard doses. Control-group patients did not receive the above treatment. Both groups underwent neuropsychological examination at the beginning and after 12 weeks of treatment or observation. Neuropsychological evaluation consisted of Stroop Color-Word Test and Trail Making Test.
Results: Cognitive performance decreased significantly in the treatment group after 12 weeks of combination therapy, which was not seen in the control group.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that peg-IFNalpha/RBV therapy of CHC patients is related to cognitive performance decline and is a result of IFNalpha-induced neurotransmission abnormalities in the limbic system, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex.