Thyroid diseases associated with interferon α treatment for viral hepatitis

There are many complications during the interferon alpha (IFNα) treatment for viral hep-atitis,and thyroid disease is the most common side-effect in endocrine aspects. Thus, clinicians are drawing much attention to the interferon induced thyroiditis (IIT). Though the etiology is not clear,some factors may contribute to the susceptibility to IIT, such as genetic predisposition, gender,and hepatitis C virus (HCV) in-fection. The pathogenesis may be secondary to immune modulation by IFNα and/or by its direct effects on the thyroid. Autoimmune IIT may manifest as Graves' disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis and the development of thyroid antibodies without clinical symptoms. Non-autoimmune IIT can manifest as destructive thyroiditis or hypothyroidism with negative thyroid antibodies. Screening for autoantibodies and serum thyroid-stimulating hormone(TSH)is recommended before, during and after IFNα treatment. Early detection and therapy of these conditions is important.