title: The role of thyroid autoantibodies in the development of thyroid dysfunction in Taiwanese chronic hepatitis C patients with interferon-alpha and ribavirin combination therapy.
abstract: To investigate the role of thyroid autoantibodies in the development of thyroid dysfunction among chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients receiving interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) plus ribavirin (RBV) combination therapy, 95 Taiwanese naïve patients with baseline euthyroidism were enrolled. They were treated with IFN-alpha2b, 6 million units thrice weekly, plus RBV 1,000-1,200 mg daily for 24 weeks. Thyroid function, anti-thyroglobulin and antiperoxidase autoantibodies were tested at enrollment (M0), at the end-of-treatment (M6) and 6 months after end-of-treatment (M12). The percentages of thyroid autoantibodies were 8.4%, 11.6% and 9.5%, at M0, M6 and M12 respectively. Fourteen (14.7%) patients developed thyroid dysfunction at M6 or M12. Thyroid dysfunction occurred during treatment in five (62.5%) of the eight patients with baseline thyroid autoantibodies, which was significantly higher than nine (10.3%) of 87 patients without baseline thyroid autoantibodies (P = 0.0001). Among 14 patients who developed thyroid dysfunction, four (80.0%) of five patients with baseline thyroid autoantibodies recovered at M12, in contrast to two (25%) of eight without baseline thyroid autoantibodies recovered at M12 (P < 0.05). In conclusion, thyroid autoantibodies, either occurred before or during IFN-alpha plus RBV combination therapy, carry a high prediction of subsequent thyroid dysfunction. There also exists difference in the clinical manifestations of thyroid dysfunction in CHC patients treated with combination therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Fooyin University Hospital, Pingtung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: J-F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: W-L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Chuang
authors.forename: C-Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: S-C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Z-Y
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: L-P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: P-L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: L-Y
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: M-Y
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.forename: W-Y
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: M-L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013624:Taiwan; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000276:immunology; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D001323:Autoantibodies; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012254:Ribavirin