Objective: To study the prevalence and clinical characteristics of thyroid disease induced by chronic hepatitis B treated with polyethylene glycol (peg) interferon-alpha.
Methods: Totally 210 patients with chronic hepatitis B were monitored for thyroid function and thyroid antibodies before application of polyethylene glycol (peg) interferon-alpha therapy and every 3 months during and after the treatment.
Results: After treatment with polyethylene glycol (peg) interferon-alpha, 6.7% (14/210) of patients had thyroid disease, in which 5.2% (11/210) had hyperthyroidism and 1.4% (3/210) had hypothyroidism. The proportion of the hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism in women were 11.8% (6/51) and 3.9% (2/51), higher than 3.1% (5/159) and 0.6% (1/159) in male (P < 0.05). In women subjects, higher proportion of those who developed thyroid disease were positive for antibody against thyroid peroxidase (TPOAb) before treatment and positive for antibody against thyroid globulin (TgAb) during the treatment as compared with those who did not develop thyroid disease (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: Patients with chronic hepatitis B treated with polyethylene glycol (peg) interferon-alpha therapy are prone to develop thyroid disease. Women positive for TPOAb and TgAb may be at increased risk for developing thyroid disease.