Thyroid Dysfunction in Chronic Hepatitis C Patients Treated with Interferon/Ribavirin

Some patients with chronic hepatitis C experience thyroid problems, and thyroid dysfunction may also be a side effect of interferon-based treatment.

As reported in the June 2006 Journal of Viral Hepatology, researchers from Taiwan conducted a study to investigate the role of thyroid auto-antibodies in the development of thyroid dysfunction among chronic hepatitis C patients receiving interferon plus ribavirin.

The study enrolled 95 treatment-naïve patients with normal baseline thyroid hormone levels. They were treated with 6 million units of interferon-alpha twice weekly plus 1,000-1,200 mg daily ribavirin for 24 weeks. Thyroid function, anti-thyroglobulin antibodies, and anti-peroxidase auto-antibodies were measured at enrollment, at the end of treatment, and six months after completion of therapy.

Results

• The percentages of thyroid auto-antibodies were 8.4% at baseline, 11.6% at the end of treatment, and 9.5% six months post-treatment.
• 14 patients (14.7%) patients developed thyroid dysfunction by the end of treatment or the six-month post-treatment measurement.
• Thyroid dysfunction occurred during treatment in 5 of the 8 patients (62.5%) with baseline thyroid auto-antibodies, compared with 9 of 87 patients (10.3%) without baseline thyroid auto-antibodies (P = 0.0001).
• Among the 14 patients who developed thyroid dysfunction, 4 of 5 individuals (80.0%) with baseline thyroid auto-antibodies recovered by six months post-treatment, compared with 2 of 8 patients (25%) without baseline thyroid auto-antibodies (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

The authors concluded thyroid auto-antibodies, present either before or during interferon plus ribavirin combination therapy, “carry a high prediction of subsequent thyroid dysfunction. There also exists difference in the clinical manifestations of thyroid dysfunction in chronic hepatitis C patients treated with combination therapy.”

8/15/06

Reference

J F Huang, W L Chuang, C Y Dai, and others. The role of thyroid autoantibodies in the development of thyroid dysfunction in Taiwanese chronic hepatitis C patients with interferon-alpha and ribavirin combination therapy. Journal of Viral Hepatitis 13(6): 396-401. June 2006