Viral Disease

Viral Diseases & Infections
  

• M Rowbotham, for the Gabapentin Postherpetic Neuralgia Study Group
  Gabapentin for the Treatment of Postherpetic Neuralgia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
  JAMA 280: 1837-1842, 1998.
     
  Postherpetic neuralgia is often very difficult to treat in many patients. This article described a clinical trial in 229 patients  – multicentric, randomized double-blind placebo controlled. Patients were treated with Gabapentin and anti-epileptic drug. Treatment was given for 8 weeks and it was demonstrated that gabapentin is effective in postherpetic neuralgia. In addition the mood and quality of life improved.
        

• E Kenny-Walsh, for the Irish Hepatology Research Group (Cork Univ, Ireland)
  Clinical Outcomes After Hepatitis C Infection from Contaminated Anti-D Immune Globulin.
  N Engl J Med 340: 1228-1233, 1999.
     
  After screening 62,667 women, HCV was detected in 704 women by PCR. Most women with HCV infection 17 years after receiving HCV-contaminated anti-D immune globulin showed inflammation on liver biopsy. Half had liver fibrosis, and 2% had definite cirrhosis.
    

• Tim Shaw and Stephen Locarnini (Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, North Melbourne, Victoria, Australia).
  Combination Chemotherapy for Hepatitis B Virus – The Path Forward?
  Drugs 2000, Sept.60(3):517-531.
    
  There is no effective treatment available for treatment of hepatitis B infections. Many new drugs have been tried including lamivudine, famciclovir, Emtricitabin, Vidarabine, Ribavin, virazole, Interferon-a, Thymosin-a, and Anti-HBV immunoglobulins.
  
  None of the many different chemotherapeutic strategy used in the past has proven consistently successful. They all reduce the initial viral load very dramatically but are unable to eradicate the infection. The elimination of residual virus is very very slow and it is probable that drug resistant may emerge.