ArticleBMC pulmonary medicine2026
Interferon-induced interstitial lung disease: a rare adverse effect induced by pegylated interferon-alpha in a patient with chronic hepatitis B-case report.
Article in BMC pulmonary medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundInterferon (IFN)-induced interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a rare but potentially fatal complication. While predominantly reported in patients with chronic hepatitis C, its occurrence during therapy for chronic hepatitis B is exceedingly rare. Although steroids are widely used empirically, the optimal therapeutic regimen remains to be elucidated. CASE PRESENTATION: We reported a case of a middle-aged, non-smoking Asian female patient with chronic hepatitis B who received weekly subcutaneous injection of pegylated interferon-alpha (Peg-IFNα) (alternating 135 μg or 180 μg). One month after treatment initiation (following the fifth dose), she developed exertional dyspnea, dry cough, and a low-grade fever. High-resolution computed tomography revealed bilateral interlobular septal thickening with subpleural ground-glass opacities. Pulmonary function tests demonstrated a reduced diffusion capacity, however, uncommon in ILD, the patient also exhibited pulmonary hyperinflation. Serological tests did not reveal any abnormalities in white blood cell count, C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, autoantibodies, or anti-respiratory virus antibodies. Echocardiography confirmed structurally normal cardiac chambers and preserved left ventricular systolic function (ejection fraction of 71%). After excluding infectious, autoimmune, and cardiogenic causes, the IFN-induced ILD was diagnosed. After discontinuation of Peg-IFNα and initiation of methylprednisolone therapy, the patient's respiratory symptoms improved markedly within 24 h and resolved completely within a week. During follow ups, no respiratory symptom reoccurred, and chest imaging and the pulmonary function resolved gradually.
conclusionIn this study, we reported a female case who developed an IFN-induced ILD while monotherapy with IFN for chronic hepatitis B, and who experienced rapid clinical improvement after initiation of steroid therapy. To our knowledge, IFN-induced ILD is exceedingly rare in the context of PEG-IFNα monotherapy for chronic hepatitis B, particularly in female patients. Clinicians should maintain a high index of suspicion for IFN-induced ILD when unexplained pulmonary symptoms arise during therapy. Early recognition and appropriate steroid administration appear to be effective strategies for managing disease progression.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.