Serum CXCL10 levels and occurrence of thyroid dysfunction in patients treated with interferon-alpha therapy for hepatitis C virus-related hepatitis.
OBJECTIVE
Thyroid autoimmunity is a common side effect of interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) treatment for chronic hepatitis C. There are currently no reliable parameters to predict the occurrence of thyroid dysfunctions in patients undergoing IFN-alpha therapy. CXC chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10) is a chemokine known to play a role in both thyroid autoimmune disease and hepatitis C virus (HCV) hepatitis.


METHODS
The aim of this study was to evaluate serum CXCL10 levels in HCV patients treated with IFN-alpha in relation to the occurrence of thyroid dysfunctions. Serum CXCL10 levels were assayed in 25 HCV patients (proven to be negative for serum thyroid antibodies) before and during IFN-alpha therapy (2, 4 and 6 months) and in 50 healthy controls. HCV patients were retrospectively selected according to the occurrence of IFN-alpha-induced thyroid dysfunction and were assigned to two groups. Group I included 15 patients who did not develop thyroid antibody positivity or dysfunction; group II included ten patients who showed the appearance of serum thyroid antibodies, followed by clinically overt thyroid dysfunction.


RESULTS
Patients with HCV, regardless of the development of thyroid dysfunctions, had significantly higher serum CXCL10 than controls (261.6+/-123.4 vs 80.4+/-33.6 pg/ml; P<0.00001). Pretreatment mean serum CXCL10 levels were significantly higher in Group I versus Group II (308.6+/-130.7 vs 191.1+/-69.4 pg/ml; P<0.05). Groups I and II showed different rates of favourable response to IFN-alpha treatment (33 and 90% respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that measuring serum CXCL10 before IFN-alpha treatment may be helpful for identifying those patients with higher risk to develop thyroid dysfunction, and require a careful thyroid surveillance throughout the treatment.
Rotondi
Mario
M
Unit of Internal Medicine and Endocrinology Fondazione Salvatore Maugeri IRCCS and Chair of Endocrinology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
Minelli
Roberta
R
Magri
Flavia
F
Leporati
Paola
P
Romagnani
Paola
P
Baroni
Maria Cristina
MC
Delsignore
Roberto
R
Serio
Mario
M
Chiovato
Luca
L
D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced*; D054357:Chemokine CXCL10; D019743:Chemokines, CXC / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced*
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D054357:Chemokine CXCL10; D019743:Chemokines, CXC; D016898:Interferon-alpha