The addition of ribavirin to interferon-alpha therapy in patients with hepatitis C virus-related chronic hepatitis does not modify the thyroid autoantibody pattern but increases the risk of developing hypothyroidism

Abstract

Our study shows that: (i) the addition of ribavirin to IFN-alpha therapy for CHC does not modify the thyroid autoantibody pattern but it is associated with a higher risk of hypothyroidism; (ii) the patients without thyroid autoantibodies at the end of a previous treatment with IFN-alpha alone are protected from the development of thyroid autoimmunity and/or dysfunction in a second course of antiviral treatment with IFN-alpha+RIBA; (iii) the development of hypothyroidism in patients with thyroid autoantibodies undergoing treatment with IFN-alpha+RIBA is significantly associated with the long-term remission of CHC.