Artificial immunity: should children be given interferon

Recently, research results from the UK appeared on the network about new possibilities in the treatment of Covid-19. Scientists have found that a very good result in the fight against coronavirus give interferon preparations. Patients with severe disease were inhaled with beta-interferon, and all of them showed faster recovery without complications of the disease. Does this mean that at the first sign of a cold, you need to run to the pharmacy for drops with interferon? We talked with the candidate of medical sciences and the head of the clinic "Suchasna pediatricia Evidence" Sergey Makarov about what interferon is, in what situations it is used, and whether it is possible for children to do inhalations with this drug on their own.

Interferon is the body's defense against all types of viruses

It is difficult to find a mother who, at least from the edge of her ear, has not heard about what interferon is. “These are protective proteins that the body's cells produce in response to penetration into them.

virus. Interferons signal to neighboring cells about a viral attack and prepare them for the need to defend themselves, says Sergey Makarov. - Interferon is produced by the cell in response to any viral infection and protects the body from all viruses that we know. Simply put, it is the perfect antivirus. "

This explains the popularity of interferon preparations. During the influenza and ARVI season, drops, sprays and suppositories with "natural protection against viruses" confidently become the leaders in pharmacy sales. Parents of small children and pregnant women are especially fond of this drug. After all, not only is interferon active against all types of viruses. According to the instructions, it has almost no side effects.

The effectiveness of interferon in drops and suppositories has not been proven

This is the main trick that pharmaceutical manufacturers successfully use. Science has proven that the interferon preparation gives the main and side effects only when it gets into the blood directly. That is, through injections. Any other ways of introducing interferon into the body, in fact, do not cause side reactions. But at the same time, they do not have any therapeutic effect.

“It was logical to assume that an interferon solution applied to the nasal mucosa could or to prevent the development of viral infections, or to speed up recovery, says Sergey Makarov. - But scientists failed to prove this effect. Even more: it was found that nasal interferons themselves can cause symptoms that resemble SARS - discharge, congestion and swelling of the nasal mucosa. Therefore, in this way, no one applies them anywhere else. As for rectal suppositories, no research has been carried out on this topic in developed countries. First of all, because protein molecules are unable to be absorbed from the rectum, penetrate into the bloodstream and somehow affect the body. "

Interferon injections has a lot of side effects

Interferon injections are expensive. But most importantly, they are very toxic. The list of side effects of any injectable interferon is simply impressive. The most harmless is fever, chills and flu-like condition. There is also a skin rash, thyroid and kidney problems, nausea and vomiting, lethargy and neuroses. These drugs are contraindicated in pregnancy and breastfeeding, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular and many other diseases.

"Such a powerful drug with such serious side effects is prescribed only when the benefits from the use are much higher than the possible risks," emphasizes Sergey Makarov. - In countries with developed medicine, interferons are used to treat certain types of cancer and a number of serious viral diseases such as hepatitis and herpes infections. It would never occur to anyone to prescribe such treatment for ARVI ”.

Interferon inhalation can provoke Quincke's edema

Despite all the arguments of science, many parents from experience assure that interferon "works". This is nothing more than a placebo effect, according to doctors: an anxious mother gave the child a medicine, and it made her feel better. The child saw that his mother was calm, and he also felt better. There is nothing wrong with this effect other than wasting money. The main thing is that parents do not invent new ways of introducing interferon to a child.

There are cases when parents buy interferon in ampoules and give their children inhalations or enemas. In this case, the child can even be harmed. “An enema can be compared to the administration of interferon in the form of suppositories, and inhalations are identical to nasal sprays. It is clear that there is a desire to "throw" the drug as deep as possible into the body, but there is little sense in this idea, - says Sergey Makarov. - So the action, or more precisely, the inaction of interferon will be practically the same. But from a safety point of view, I would not recommend administering the drug in a way that has not been studied in detail. "

It is possible that inhalation of interferon will cause Quincke's edema or anaphylactic shock. Even if the child has never had any food or drug allergies. Do not forget that interferon is not just a chemical, but a biologically active drug. It's also a protein, and proteins are one of the most potent allergens.

Patients with Covid-19 were injected with the wrong interferon

But what about the research of British scientists? After all, it says in black and white that interferon was administered to patients with coronavirus by inhalation, and this gave a positive effect. On this score, Sergei Makarov has two whole objections. “Firstly, this is a single study, which means that it cannot be a guide to action,” the specialist emphasizes. “Secondly, patients in the UK were given interferon beta. Sprays, drops and suppositories contain interferon alpha. And this is a fundamentally different protein. Interferon beta is a very serious drug, with such an impressive list of side effects, from which a healthy person will become scared. It is used to treat serious diseases (for example, multiple sclerosis). "

It is possible that against the background of information about the effectiveness of interferon in Covid-19, people will appear who will try to self-medicate. Sergey Makarov is categorically against such experiments: “In no case should you pour interferon preparations into a nebulizer and inhale them yourself. If you don't get any effect, this will be the best scenario. "

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