Endocrine Abstracts

Objective: to assess the frequency and pattern of thyroid dysfunctions (TD) in Egyptian patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) with and without interferon alpha (IFN) therapy.

Methods: thyroid function as well as thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPO Ab) were assessed in 40 untreated Chronic HCV patients (HCV group), 30 HCV patients under IFN alpha therapy, for more than three months (IFN group) and 50 healthy age and sex matched controls.

Results: TD, either overt or subclinical, was detected in 12.5% of HCV group, 33.4% of IFN group and 2% of controls. Among HCV group, 5% had overt hypothyroidism, 7.5% subclinical hypothyroidism and no one had hyperthyroidism. While overt hypothyroidism was detected in 10% of IFN group, subclinical hypothyroidism observed in 16.7% and hyperthyroidism reported in 6.7%. Among controls, 2% had subclinical hypothyroidism whereas no one had overt hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism. TD was more often detected in females (47.8%) compared to males (5.1%). Higher levels of TPOAb were observed among IFN group compared to HCV group and controls (P<0.01 & P<0.01, respectively). The study showed significant association between thyroid dysfunctions and TPO Ab positivity (P=0.027).

Conclusion: TD among Egyptian HCV patients, especially those treated with IFN was more frequent than usually reported. It is likely that HCV and IFN act in synergism to trigger TD in patients. Women appear to be more vulnerable to TD than men. The predominant TD is hypothyroidism. In view of high frequency of TD, routine screening and surveillance of HCV patients, especially after receiving IFN, is recommended.

Declaration of interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of the research project.

Funding: This research did not receive any specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sector