Arvin A M, Kushner J H, Feldman S, Baehner R L, Hammond D, Merigan T C
N Engl J Med. 1982 Apr 1;306(13):761-5. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198204013061301.
Human leukocyte interferon was evaluated as a treatment for varicella in a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study carried out in two phases. A total of 44 children being treated for cancer were enrolled within 72 hours of the appearance of the exanthem. The mean number of days of new lesion formation was 3.8 +/- 1.89 (+/- S.D.) in the interferon recipients and 5.3 +/- 2.56 in the placebo recipients (P less than 0.05). Eighty-one per cent of the interferon recipients had had no new lesions for 24 hours by Day 7, as compared with 56 per cent of the placebo recipients (P less than 0.025). In the second, higher-dose phase of the study 92 per cent of the interferon recipients had had no new lesions for 24 hours by Day 6, as compared with 45 per cent of the placebo recipients (P less than 0.025). Three of 21 placebo recipients died of progressive varicella. Two of the 23 interferon recipients died two to three weeks after the onset of varicella; viral cultures were negative in one of these patients, and the second had recurrent viremia at the end of the treatment period. Among the survivors, treatment with interferon reduced the number of patients who had life-threatening dissemination (none of 21 vs. three of 18; P = 0.053). We conclude that interferon had an antiviral effect against varicella virus in immunocompromised patients.
在一项分两个阶段进行的随机双盲、安慰剂对照研究中，对人白细胞干扰素治疗水痘的效果进行了评估。共有44名正在接受癌症治疗的儿童在皮疹出现后72小时内入组。干扰素治疗组新皮疹形成的平均天数为3.8±1.89（±标准差），安慰剂治疗组为5.3±2.56（P<0.05）。到第7天，81%的干扰素治疗组患者24小时内无新皮疹出现，而安慰剂治疗组为56%（P<0.025）。在研究的第二阶段，即更高剂量阶段，到第6天，92%的干扰素治疗组患者24小时内无新皮疹出现，而安慰剂治疗组为45%（P<0.025）。21名安慰剂治疗组患者中有3人死于进行性水痘。23名干扰素治疗组患者中有2人在水痘发病后两到三周死亡；其中1例患者病毒培养阴性，另一例在治疗期结束时出现复发性病毒血症。在幸存者中，干扰素治疗减少了出现危及生命的播散性感染的患者数量（21例中无1例，而18例中有3例；P = 0.053）。我们得出结论，干扰素对免疫功能低下患者的水痘病毒具有抗病毒作用。
