Bone Damage with Interferon ?

[Marsha__0__0]

  I was wondering if there is any link between loss of bone with the Interferon , I have severe bone pain , I have been off of treatment for 4 years now , the pain is so severe I have to take morphine . What damage does the interferon do ? I know it is toxic and must do some kind .Have there been studies ?
  Thank-you

[HFHSM.D.-D.M.]

_
Dear Marsha:
I have recently received a couple of questions about the relationship between hepatitis C, interferon and osteoporosis.  Here are some comments that answered to questions from John and Mary Ann.
I did some computerized literature searches.  I found a couple of articles that found a correlation between viral hepatitis (hepatitis C is a viral hepatitis) and osteoporosis.  I found these article very intriguing and it is a reminder for me to keep aware of this problem in my patients.  Especially now that we have good treatments for osteoporosis.  This is the reference for one article.  It is in the journal Hepatology.  Any good sized medical library should have it.
Gallego-Rojo FJ. Gonzalez-Calvin JL. Munoz-Torres M. Mundi JL. Fernandez-Perez R. Rodrigo-Moreno D. Bone mineral density, serum insulin-like growth factor I, and bone turnover markers in viral cirrhosis. Hepatology. 28(3):695-9, 1998 Sep.
Ironically, I couldn’t find any articles about the effect of interferon on osteoporosis. I could not find any papers that described  a link between interferon and bone loss.  In fact, two papers described using interferon to treat a specific kind of bone loss.  That does not mean there is no link between interferon and bone loss.  It just means that I was not able to find one using the “Medline” computerized search system cross-referencing “hepatitis C” or “interferon” with “osteoporosis”.  The “Medline” system is a reputable search engine used commonly by physicians and researchers.  
As a result, I will be very interested in the article that Mary Ann knows about.  I always ask MedHelp correspondents who know about articles to give us the reference for the article instead of just telling us what the article says.  That way, we can all decide for ourselves whether the article is valid.  It is important to remember that few patients with hepatitis C are on interferon or interferon and ribavirin for more than a year which gives their bones a chance to recover after therapy is completed.  
I hope this information is helpful to you.  If you have additional information or questions, I would invite you to post the material to MEDHELP or to contact us directly at Henry Ford [phone]. We have an active group of liver specialists and we have a strong interest in and experience with hepatitis C and liver transplant.
This response is being provided for general informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice or consultation.  Always check with your personal physician when you have a question pertaining to your health.