title: Development of thyroid disease during therapy of chronic viral hepatitis with interferon alfa.
abstract: Six of 237 (2.5%) patients with chronic viral hepatitis who were treated with recombinant interferon alfa developed thyroid disease while on treatment. Three patients developed hyperthyroidism, two of whom developed detectable levels of thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin; three patients developed hypothyroidism in association with high titers of antithyroglobulin and/or antimicrosomal antibodies. The thyroid disease did not remit when interferon therapy was stopped, and all six patients required definitive therapy for the thyroid disease. These findings suggest that a small proportion of patients treated with interferon alfa develop autoimmune reactions and can develop autoimmune thyroid disease.
authors.affiliation: Liver Diseases Section, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lisker-Melman
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Di Bisceglie
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Usala
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Weintraub
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Hoofnagle
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D007370:Interferon Type I; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D013972:Thyrotropin