Advances on interferon-induced thyroid disease in patients with chronic hepatitis C

Interferon-induced thyroid disease (IIT) is one of the most common endocrinopathies in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients treated with IFN, and has attracted much attention. The pathogeneses are probably involved in IFN induced autoimmune disorder and/or direct thyroid toxicity. The spectrum of IIT includes diseases induced by autoimmune disorders (such as Graves'disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis and the development of thyroid antibodies without clinical symptoms) , diseases caused by the direct toxic effect of IFN on the thyroid gland (such as destructive thyroiditis) and non-autoimmune hypothyroidism. It is necessary to detect TSH and thyroid auto-antibodies at baseline, and monitor thyroid function for early diagnosis and treatment. In most cases, IIT can be treated without discontinuing IFN therapy. Non-autoimmune thyroiditis is usually easy to recover. Key words: Hepatitis C, chronic; Thyroid diseases; Interferon