Incidence of autoimmune thyroiditis in interferon-alpha treated and untreated patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection.
| Autor: | Rocco A; Dept. of Medical Patophysiology, University of Rome La Sapienza, Italy. arocco48@libero.it, Gargano S, Provenzano A, Nardone M, De Sanctis GM, Altavilla N, Chircu LV, Grimaldi F |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Zdroj: | Neuro endocrinology letters [Neuro Endocrinol Lett] 2001; Vol. 22 (1), pp. 39-44. |
| Abstrakt: | Objectives: To clarify the relationship between interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) therapy and autoimmune thyroiditis in chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, we investigated a selected number of patients without basal thyroid dysfunctions. Materials and Methods: 130 patients (average age: 20-70), with chronic HCV infection and without basal clinical and laboratory signs of autoimmune thyroiditis were divided into two groups: IFN-alpha treated (A) and untreated (B) patients. Group A received IFN-alpha (three million U.I./3 times a week) for six months; group B was followed for the same period. Thyroid peroxidase and thyroglobulin autoantibodies were measured by radioimmunoassay; thyroid function was measured by radioimmunoassay (free thyroxine and triiodothyronine) and immunoradiometric assay (thyroid stimulating hormone). Results: After a 6-month period, thyroid autoantibodies positivity was documented in 21.1% of group A and in 10.3% of group B patients, both statistically relevant (p<0.001 and p<0.011, respectively). The comparison between the two groups was not statistically relevant (p=0.142). Conclusions: Our study showed a prevalence of de novo thyroid autoimmunity in chronic HCV patients treated with IFN-alpha, confirming previous data in literature. The lack of a significant difference between treated and untreated patients strongly suggests that the anti-thyroid autoimmune response is linked to the HCV infection itself. Moreover, IFN-alpha therapy probably does not represent a risk factor in renewing the autoimmune processes of the thyroid gland. Thyroid function and autoantibodies must be systematically monitored in patients with HCV infection, especially in female and IFN-alpha treated population, not only to verify the possible thyroid abnormalities but also to rule out concomitant autoimmune diseases. |
| Databáze: | MEDLINE |
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