Clinical characteristics and risk factors of thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy with liver injury / 眼科新进展

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore the clinical characteristics and liver injury-related risk factors of thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy(TAO)patients with liver function impairment.Methods In this retrospective cohort study,the clinical data of 1 030 TAO patients who visited Henan Provincial People's Hospital from July 2017 to May 2023 was collected.These patients were divided into TAO patients with liver injury(Group A,132 patients)and TAO patients with normal liver func-tion(Group B,898 patients).The age,gender,smoking history,liver function indicators[alanine aminotransferase(ALT),aspartate aminotransferase(AST),glutamyl transpeptidase(γ-GT),total bilirubin(TBil),direct bilirubin(DBil),and alkaline phosphatase(ALP)],thyroid function-related indicators[free triiodothyronine(FT3),free thyroxine(FT4),thyroid stimulating hormone(TSH),thyrotropin receptor antibody(TRAb),thyroid peroxidase antibody(TPO-Ab),and thyroglobulin antibody],and eye signs[eye protrusion degree,intraocular pressure,absence or occurrence of upper eyelid retraction,NOSPECS grading,clinical activity score(CAS),and number of affected ocular muscles of both eyes]of two groups were collected and compared.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the risk fac-tors for liver injury in TAO patients.Results The proportion of liver injury in patients who were initially diagnosed with TAO and received no treatment was 12.82％.There was no statistically significant difference in the gender distribution and the proportion of smokers between the two groups(both P＞0.05).The age of patients in Group A[(44.63+13.64)years]was higher than that in Group B[(40.25±14.04)years],and the difference was statistically significant(t=3.718,P＜0.05).The levels of ALT,AST,γ-GT,ALP,TBil and DBil in Group A were higher than those in Group B,and the differences were statistically significant(allP＜0.01).The FT3,FT4,TPOAb and TRAb levels in Group A were higher than those in Group B,while the TSH level was lower than that in Group B(all P＜0.01).The number of affected ocular mus-cles of both eyes and the proportion of patients with a CAS score≥3 in Group A were higher than those in Group B(both P＜0.05).The regression analysis results showed that the higher the FT4 and TRAb levels,the older the age,and the lower the TSH level,the higher the risk of liver injury in TAO patients.Conclusion High levels of FT4 and TRAb,as well as low TSH level and advanced age,are independent risk factors for liver injury in TAO patients.The direct toxic effects of immune factors and high thyroxine level on the liver are jointly involved in the mechanism of liver injury in TAO patients.