What adverse effects can result from antiviral therapy

  The main adverse reactions of IFNa are flu-like syndrome, bone marrow suppression, mental abnormalities, thyroid disease, loss of appetite, weight loss, diarrhea, rash, hair loss and sterile inflammation at the injection site.  1. Influenza-like syndrome: manifested as fever, chills, headache, muscle pain and weakness, etc. IFNa can be injected at bedtime or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs can be taken at the same time as IFNa injection to reduce the influenza-like symptoms. With the progress of treatment, such symptoms will gradually reduce or disappear.  2. Myelosuppression: Transient myelosuppression mainly manifests as a decrease in peripheral blood leukocytes and platelets.  3. Psychiatric abnormalities: depression, paranoia, severe anxiety and psychosis may be manifested. Among them, depression is a common adverse reaction during IFNa treatment, and the symptoms can range from irritability to severe depression. Therefore, the patient’s mental status should be assessed before using IFNa and closely observed during treatment. Antidepressants may alleviate such adverse reactions. For those with severe symptoms, IFN , a should be discontinued promptly. 4. Autoantibody production: including anti-thyroid antibodies, anti-nuclear antibodies and anti-insulin antibodies. In most cases, there is no obvious clinical manifestation. Some patients may develop thyroid disease (hypo- or hyperthyroidism), diabetes mellitus, thrombocytopenia, hemolytic anemia, psoriasis, leukoplakia, rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus-like syndrome, etc. The drug should be discontinued in severe cases.  5, other rare adverse reactions: including renal damage (interstitial nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and acute renal failure, etc.), cardiovascular complications (arrhythmia, ischemic heart disease and cardiomyopathy, etc.), retinopathy, hearing loss and interstitial pneumonia, etc. When these reactions occur, treatment should be discontinued.  Second, the main adverse reactions of ribavirin The main adverse reactions of ribavirin are hemolytic and teratogenic effects.  1, timely detection of hemolytic anemia: regular hematological tests, including hemoglobin, red blood cell count and reticulocyte count, are required. In renal insufficiency can cause severe hemolysis and ribavirin should be disabled.  2. Teratogenicity: Both male and female patients should use contraception during treatment and for 6 months after discontinuation of the drug.  3, other adverse reactions: Ribavirin can also cause nausea, dry skin, itching, cough and hyperuricemia.