esearch has determined that interferons also affect tumor growth and can be used to fight certain types of cancers. Many different sources say different things about the types of existing and available interferons, so I chose to list the most common ones that I found. They are: Interferon-alpha Interferon-beta Interferon-gammaAlpha interferons are used to treat several diseases, including some types of cancer, such as hairy cell leukemia, melanoma, follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma. They are also used to treat genital warts and some kinds of hepatitis. Beta interferons are used primarily in the treatment for multiple sclerosis. Gamma interferons are used in the treatment of chronic granulomatous disease. What are some side effects of interferons?All patients in interferon therapy have experienced Varying degrees of different side effect. The most frequently occurring ones are nausea, vomiting, depression, hail loss, diarrhea, and low blood platelets. The more severe side effects the have occurred are neutropenia, this is a low count of a certain type of white blood cells called neutrophils, fatigue, pain in the muscles. They also can lead to severe headache, fever, chills, and increased serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, or SGOT, this is an enzyme in the blood which, when found at high levels, may signal liver disease. One last behavioral side effect that accompanies the use of interferons, is the very infrequent reports of suicidal behavior, this can include anything from ideas about it to attempts and even actual completion of suicide. Interesting facts:- The substance that protects the corpus luteum and the developing embryo is a interferon called tau.- Interferons are stimulated by either a double stranded RNA or by toxins released by harmful organisms.- Interferons are species specific. This means that they cannot affect two different species t...
