HLA antigens in patients with interferon-alpha-induced autoimmune thyroid disorders in chronic hepatitis C.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the immunological predisposition to autoimmune thyroid disorders induced by interferon-alpha therapy, human leukocyte antigen (HLA) was analyzed in patients with chronic hepatitis C who developed autoimmune thyroid disorders during or after treatment with interferon-alpha.


METHODS
Four hundred and thirty-nine patients with chronic hepatitis C (278 males and 161 females, aged 20-73 years) were treated with interferon-alpha (natural-alpha, 169; alpha-2a, 82; alpha-2b, 188) for 24 weeks.


RESULTS
Seventeen of 439 (3.9%) patients developed symptomatic autoimmune thyroid disorders; these included nine cases of hyperthyroidism and eight cases of hypothyroidism. The incidence of HLA-A2, B46 and Cw7 increased in patients with interferon-alpha-induced autoimmune thyroid disorders. Especially, the incidence of HLA-A2 (15/17; 88.2%) was significantly higher than that observed in the general population in Japan (corrected p-value (p(c)): p(c)<0.003). The odds ratios for the relative risk of the autoimmune thyroid disorders were A2, 10.6 [95% confidence interval, 2.4-46.5]; B46, 4.8 [1.6-14.0]; and Cw7, 3.0 [1.1-7.9].


CONCLUSIONS
Our study revealed that HLA-A2 is highly linked to the autoimmune thyroid disorders induced by interferon-alpha-therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C.
Kakizaki
S
S
The First Department of Internal Medicine, Gunma University School of Medicine, Maebashi, Japan. kakizaki@news.sb.gunma-u.ac.jp
Takagi
H
H
Murakami
M
M
Takayama
H
H
Mori
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005805:Genes, MHC Class I; D006681:HLA-D Antigens / Q000097:blood*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy*; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008285:Major Histocompatibility Complex; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D013967:Thyroiditis, Autoimmune / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D006681:HLA-D Antigens; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D011994:Recombinant Proteins