Rate of Infectious Complications during Interferon-Based Therapy for
Hepatitis C Is Not Related to Neutropenia

Curtis L. Cooper, Saif Al-Bedwawi, Craig Lee, and Gary Garber

University of Ottawa, Division of Infectious Diseases, The Ottawa
Hospital—General Campus, Ottawa Health Research Institute, Ottawa, Ontario



The relationship between infectious complications and neutropenia was
evaluated in recipients of interferon-based therapy for hepatitis C followed
at The Ottawa Hospital Viral Hepatitis Clinic from June 2000 to May 2005.
One hundred ninety-two patients received 211 courses of therapy (5707
person-weeks of therapy). No patients received granulocyte
colony-stimulating factor. Sixty-seven infectious complications occurred in
57 patients (1.17 infections per 100 person-weeks of therapy). The median
time to infection was 17 weeks after the start of therapy. Age, sex, weight,
race, human immunodeficiency virus status, stage and grade of biopsy, and
type of interferon were not correlated with infection rate by Cox regression
analysis. The rates of total, fungal, viral, and bacterial infections did
not correlate with nadir neutrophil count or magnitude of decrease from
baseline. Neutrophil count is not correlated with infection rate in
recipients of interferon-based therapy for hepatitis C. Reduction in
interferon dose and/or dosing with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in
those with neutropenia is not supported by this analysis.



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Received 12 January 2006; accepted 4 March 2006; electronically
published 10 May 2006.


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