title: The first report of the thyroid function of haemophilic patients with HIV/HCV co-infection in Japan.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A high incidence of thyroid dysfunction is reported in patients with HIV or HCV mono-infection. We have conducted a periodic medical examination including the thyroid function for haemophilic patients with HIV/HCV co-infection due to contaminated blood products.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined the thyroid function (as assessed by the FT3, FT4 and TSH levels) in 45 haemophilic patients, including thyroglobulin and auto-antibody, antithyroglobulin antibody, antithyroid peroxidase antibody and anti-TSH receptor antibody in 28 patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All the patients were males (median age: 42 years; range: 29-66). The median values of thyroid function were FT3 3.36 pg mL(-1) , FT4 1.125 ng mL(-1) and TSH 1.65 μIU mL(-1) . Five patients (11.1%) had high TSH levels. In 28 patients in whom the presence of auto-antibodies was examined, the median age was 47 years of age. The median value of thyroglobulin was 16 ng mL(-1) and two patients showed high levels of thyroglobulin. The presence of anti-TSH receptor antibody of all the patients was negative, but one patient (3.5%) was positive of antithyroid peroxidase antibody and antithyroglobulin antibody.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Since 0.68-3.6% of the general healthy population is reported to show hypothyroidism, our data showed that the proportion of hypothyroidism in haemophilic patients with HIV/HCV co-infection was more frequent than that of the normal population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sakimura
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Eguchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamanouchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Minami
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kuba
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hayashida
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Soyama
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hidaka
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takatsuki
authors.affiliation: National Hospital Nagasaki Medical Center, Omura, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuroki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D060085:Coinfection / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006678:HIV / Q000502:physiology*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006467:Hemophilia A / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000502:physiology*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007037:Hypothyroidism / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D013954:Thyroglobulin / Q000097:blood; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D013954:Thyroglobulin
keywords: haemophilia; hepatitis C virus; human immunodeficiency virus; hypothyroidism; thyroid function