A Case of Chronic Hepatitis C with Nephrotic Diabetic Nephropathy who Achieved Sustained Viral Remission by Double-Filtration Plasmapheresis and Interferon Combination Therapy

Abstract

We report a 66-year-old man with chronic hepatitis caused by hepatitis type C virus of genotype-1b and high-viral-load combined with cryoglobulinemia and advanced diabetic nephropathy in whom we successfully achieved viral removal and eradication by DFPP (VRAD). The dose of PEG-interferon was reduced to 70 mg/week due to thrombocytopenia. Rivavirin was discontinued at day 21 due to anemia. Even with treatment of PEG-interferon alone, the condition was judged to be sustained viral remission at the end of the observation. This is a successful report of VRAD in a combined case of diabetic and HCV-related cryoglobulinnephropathy with nephrotic syndrome. The therapeutic effect of IFN seemed to be efficiently enhanced by concomitant DFPP (VRAD therapy).