title: [Does hepatitis c virus-related autoimmune thyroiditis exist? Reflections on a controlled study of 58 consecutive subjects].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Interferon alpha treatment for virus C hepatitis may be responsible for autoimmune thyroiditis. Relationships between thyroiditis and virus C infection are still debated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the existence of this association.
  
  
  METHODS
  The prevalence of autoimmune thyroiditis in 58 patients (35 male and 23 female patients, mean age 52.6) with untreated virus C hepatitis was compared to that of 56 alcoholic patients (41 male and 15 female patients, mean age 53.8). Autoimmune thyroiditis was defined as the association of abnormal TSH and an increase in antithyroid antibodies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We did not find any statistical difference in either autoimmune thyroiditis or antithyroid antibodies prevalences.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both our results and a literature review suggest that the few reported cases of related autoimmune thyroiditis and virus C infection are probably coincidental.
authors.affiliation: Département de médecine interne, CHU de Rouen, France.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Blot
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Kerleau
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lévesque
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Héron
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Ménard
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Buffet-Janvresse
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bourreille
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Courtois
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013967:Thyroiditis, Autoimmune / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D013972:Thyrotropin / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D013972:Thyrotropin