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Interferon-free therapy with sofosbuvir plus ribavirin for successful treatment of genotype 2 hepatitis C virus with lichen planus: a case report

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Abstract

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains the main cause of liver disease and can lead to chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. HCV may also develop extrahepatic manifestations in the skin, eyes, joints, kidneys, nervous system, and immune system. In fact, several studies reported that up to 70% of HCV patients experienced extrahepatic manifestations. Lichen planus (LP), which is an immune system disorder that is triggered by viral infections, allergens, and stress, can affect the skin, mouth, nails, and scalp. The association of LP with HCV has been reported, but the effect of HCV treatment on LP remission is controversial. We encountered a 53-year-old man with HCV genotype 2a and LP that were successfully treated with sofosbuvir and ribavirin for 12 weeks. After treatment, he achieved sustained virological response against HCV and remission of erosive LP lesions on the lip. In the era of interferon (IFN)-based treatment for HCV, exacerbation of autoimmune diseases is a common adverse event. Therefore, use of an IFN-free regimen of direct-acting antivirals for HCV might prevent the extrahepatic manifestation of an immune disorder.

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Acknowledgement

This work was supported by the Platform Project for Supporting in Drug Discovery and Life Science Research from the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED; 16FK0210109H1401 and 16FK0310503H1405); JSPS KAKENHI Grant No. JP26461021.

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Author notes

  1. Ayumu Yoshikawa and Katsumi Terashita contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, Kushiro Rosai Hospital, Kushiro, Japan

    Ayumu Yoshikawa, Katsumi Terashita, Soichiro Matsuda, Takahiro Yamamura, Koichiro Sarashina, Shintaro Nakano, Yoshimitsu Kobayashi, Susumu Sogabe, Kazuhiro Takahashi, Shin Haba, Hisashi Oda & Takuto Miyagishima

  2. Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan

    Kenichi Morikawa & Naoya Sakamoto

  3. Central Clinical Laboratory, Kushiro Rosai Hospital, Kushiro, Japan

    Tatsuro Takahashi

Authors
  1. Ayumu Yoshikawa
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  2. Katsumi Terashita
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  3. Kenichi Morikawa
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  4. Soichiro Matsuda
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  5. Takahiro Yamamura
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  6. Koichiro Sarashina
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  7. Shintaro Nakano
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  8. Yoshimitsu Kobayashi
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  9. Susumu Sogabe
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  10. Kazuhiro Takahashi
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  11. Shin Haba
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  12. Hisashi Oda
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  13. Tatsuro Takahashi
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  14. Takuto Miyagishima
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  15. Naoya Sakamoto
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kenichi Morikawa.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest:

Professor Naoya Sakamoto received lecture fees from Bristol Myers Squibb and Pharmaceutical K.K; grants and endowments from MSD K.K. and Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.; and a research grant from Gilead Sciences, Inc. Dr. Kenichi Morikawa received research grants from Gilead Sciences, Inc. Ayumu Yoshikawa, Katsumi Terashita, Soichiro Matsuda, Takahiro Yamamura, Koichiro Sarashina, Shintaro Nakano, Yoshimitsu Kobayashi, Susumu Sogabe, Kazuhiro Takahashi, Shin Haba, Hisashi Oda, Tatsuro Takahashi, and Takuto Miyagishima declare that they have no conflicts of interest related to this manuscript.

Human Rights:

All procedures were in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments.

Informed Consent:

Informed consent for inclusion in this report was obtained from the patient.

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Yoshikawa, A., Terashita, K., Morikawa, K. et al. Interferon-free therapy with sofosbuvir plus ribavirin for successful treatment of genotype 2 hepatitis C virus with lichen planus: a case report. Clin J Gastroenterol 10, 270–273 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12328-017-0742-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12328-017-0742-3

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