Do thyroid abnormalities detected in patients treated for HCV-related chronic hepatitis persist?

One hundred and twenty-one patients with HCV-related chronic hepatitis and normal baseline thyroid function were studied. Forty-six patients received IFN alpha-2b, while 75 patients had Peg-IFN alpha-2b with ribavirin more recently. Thirty patients (ten belonging to the standard IFN group) were re-treated. The pre-treatment prevalence of thyroid antibodies was 3.3%. At the end of the first antiviral treatment, the prevalence of laboratory alterations (presence of antibodies and abnormal hormonal levels) of thyroid was assessed to be 20.7% (25 patients), being quite similar for standard-interferon- and pegylated-interferon-treated patients (P = 0.63). TSH level alteration was seen in eleven patients (9.1% of the overall population and 44% of the antibodies positive patients), of whom ten were females. The anti-microsomal, anti-thyroperoxidase and anti-thyroglobulin antibodies, in combined or isolated presence, were detected in all 25 patients. During the re-treatment we noticed worsening only of previous thyroid abnormalities. No patient changed the antiviral schedule after the emerging of thyroid alterations. All eleven patients remained thyroid dysfunctional at the end of the follow-up (ten with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and one with Graves disease), meanwhile the near totality of patients with presence of antibodies remained positive. Interestingly, eight out the 14 patients who showed mood disorders after antiviral therapy, belonged to the aforementioned cohort.