title: Autoimmunity and thyroid function in patients with chronic active hepatitis treated with recombinant interferon alpha-2a.
abstract: The occurrence of thyroid abnormalities and the appearance of organ- and non-organ-specific autoantibodies during long-term recombinant interferon alpha-2a (IFN-alpha) therapy were studied in 86 and 51 consecutive outpatients with hepatitis C and B virus-related chronic active hepatitis (CAH-HCV and CAH-HBV), respectively. Most patients had longstanding community-acquired hepatitis. At baseline, 9.3% of CAH-HCV and 3.9% of CAH-HBV patients showed clinical and/or biochemical signs of thyroid dysfunction. The remaining patients were euthyroid, although anti-thyroid autoantibodies were found in 33/78 (42.3%) of CAH-HCV and in 5/49 (10.2%) of CAH-HBV patients. During IFN-alpha treatment, increased anti-thyroid autoantibody levels were seen in 40% of CAH-HCV initially negative patients, while they became detectable in no more than 10% of CAH-HBV patients. Interferon-alpha-induced hypo- or hyperthyroidism was recorded in 12 of 35 CAH-HCV patients treated for 12 months (34.3%). Only one CAH-HBV patient developed hyperthyroidism. High titers of anti-nuclear autoantibodies (ANA) were recorded at enrollment in 5/36 (13.8%) of CAH-HCV and in 3/16 (18.7%) of CAH-HBV patients. Only one CAH-HCV patient displayed anti-parietal cell antibodies (PCA). After IFN-alpha treatment, ANA were found in 10/28 (35.7%) and PCA in 2/28 (7.1%) of CAH-HCV patients, while an additional CAH-HBV patient developed PCA, but not ANA. However, no signs of systemic autoimmune disease were recorded.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Istituti di Scienze Endocrine, Medicina Interna-Malattie Infettive-Immunopatologia, Ospedale Maggiore IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Preziati
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: La Rosa
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Covini
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marcelli
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rescalli
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Persani
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Del Ninno
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Meroni
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Colombo
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Beck-Peccoz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood; D015551:Autoimmunity; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus; D006515:Hepatitis B virus; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000276:immunology; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood; D013973:Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone; D013974:Thyroxine / Q000097:blood; D014284:Triiodothyronine / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014284:Triiodothyronine; D013973:Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone; D013972:Thyrotropin; D013974:Thyroxine