|
Major summary points from the study |
| 1. The majority of patients with HCV undergoing combination IFN-α and RBV therapy have normal thyroid function. |
| 2. The commonest cause of thyroid dysfunction is hypothyroidism, a ratio of 4:1 compared with hyperthyroidism. |
| 3. The average time from the start of anti-viral treatment to hypothyroidism is ~4–5 months, suggesting that this is the critical time to carry out thyroid testing. |
| 4. Predisposing risk factors include female gender, family history of thyroid disease and existing thyroid auto-antibodies, especially anti-TPO antibodies. In this situation, initial TSH should be performed to exclude pre-existing hypothyroidism. |
| 5. Hyperthyroidism is less common and each should be managed on its own merits in a specialised Endocrine service. |
Tran et al. BMC Endocrine Disorders 2005 5:8 doi:10.1186/1472-6823-5-8 |