Thyroid dysfunction and long-term outcome during and after interferon-alpha therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C
Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore
;
: 394-400, 2011.
Article
in English
| WPRIM
| ID: wpr-229643
ABSTRACT
<p><b>INTRODUCTION</b>Thyroid dysfunction (TD) is a well-established adverse effect in chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients, treated with interferon-alpha (IFN-α), with or without ribavirin. However, the long-term outcome is not well-studied. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence and long-term outcome of TD after HCV-therapy.</p><p><b>MATERIALS AND METHODS</b>Retrospective analysis of 109 HCV-treated patients (for 6 to 12 months, according to HCV genotype), for the period 1996 to 2008. Thyroid function tests were performed every 3 months during therapy and after discontinuation (3 months to 12 years). Routine laboratory tests and virological assessment were performed according to generally accepted practice.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>TD was observed in 26 patients (23.85%). The positive and negative predictive value for thyroid autoantibodies (ATA) was 80% and 72.7%, respectively. Relative risk for those with positive ATA was 2.9 (95% CI 1.6 to 5.3, P = 0.014). The median duration of TD was 12.0 months (min 3; max 132). The median follow-up period for the patients with TD was 25.5 months (min 12; max 144). Finally, 15 patients developed permanent TD (57.69%), compared to 11 with temporary TD (42.31%). Sex is a risk factor for TD, as there were more females than males affected (P = 0.011). Genotype, viral load, time of HCV-exposure prior to therapy, and virological response did not differ between patients with and without TD.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>TD among HCV-treated patients was more frequent than usually reported, with >50% developing permanent TD. ATA status may play a role in estimating the risk of subsequent TD. Women appear to be more vulnerable to TD than men.</p>
Full text:
Available
Index:
WPRIM (Western Pacific)
Main subject:
Antiviral Agents
/
Ribavirin
/
Thyroid Diseases
/
Thyroid Function Tests
/
Time Factors
/
Case-Control Studies
/
Sex Factors
/
Epidemiology
/
Prevalence
/
Interferon-alpha
Type of study:
Etiology study
/
Observational study
/
Prevalence study
/
Prognostic study
/
Risk factors
Limits:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
English
Journal:
Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore
Year:
2011
Type:
Article
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