Prevalence of thyroid autoantibodies is not increased in blood donors with hepatitis C virus infection.
Serum autoimmune reactions are found in many patients with hepatitis C. A high prevalence of thyroid dysfunction and antithyroid antibodies in patients with chronic hepatitis C was recently reported. We have compared the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction and antithyroid peroxidase antibodies in blood donors with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection (study group) and in seronegative anti-HCV donors (control group). One hundred and ninety-two blood donors were studied: 96 were anti-HCV positive by ELISA 2 (48 males and 48 females; age 48 +/- 12.9 years, mean +/- SD), and 96 were HCV seronegative (55 males and 41 females; age 37 +/- 14.8 years). In all patients, serum TSH (0.25-4.2 mU/l) and fT4 (9-23 pmol/l) were measured by immunochemiluminiscent assays and antithyroid peroxidase antibodies (normal < 100 U/ml) by RIA. In all anti-HCV positive donors, hepatitis C viremia was tested using the nested polymerase chain reaction. Thyroid dysfunction was found in three females (3.1%) in the anti-HCV positive group (three cases of hypothyroidism), and in four (4.1%) anti-HCV negative blood donors (three cases of hypothyroidism, two females and one male; one case of hyperthyroidism, a female), (p = NS). Antithyroid peroxidase antibody titers were above normal values in 5 (5.2%) anti-HCV positive individuals and in eight (8.3%) anti-HCV negative blood donors (p = NS). These results do not show an increase prevalence of thyroid dysfunction and antithyroid peroxidase antibodies in blood donors with HCV infection when compared with a control group.
Boadas
J
J
Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
Rodríguez-Espinosa
J
J
Enríquez
J
J
Miralles
F
F
Martínez-Cerezo
F J
FJ
González
P
P
Madoz
P
P
Vilardell
F
F
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D001483:Base Sequence; D001782:Blood Donors; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007453:Iodide Peroxidase / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000276:immunology*; D013963:Thyroid Hormones / Q000097:blood; D013967:Thyroiditis, Autoimmune / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D014766:Viremia / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology
D001323:Autoantibodies; D012367:RNA, Viral; D013963:Thyroid Hormones; D007453:Iodide Peroxidase; D000410:Alanine Transaminase