B-Cell-Activating Factor Affects the Occurrence of Thyroid Autoimmunity in Chronic Hepatitis C Patients Treated with Interferon Alpha

• Published in: Clinical & developmental immunology Vol. 2012; no. 2012; pp. 1 - 4
• Main Authors: Kikuchi, Kentaro, Hosoya, Naomi, Kajiyama, Yusuke, Miyakawa, Hiroshi, Hino, Kunihiko, Hoshino, Hiromi, Takai, Atsuko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cairo, Egypt Hindawi Puplishing Corporation 01.01.2012; Hindawi Publishing Corporation; Hindawi Limited
• Subjects: Age Factors; Antiviral Agents - administration & dosage; Antiviral Agents - therapeutic use; Autoantibodies - biosynthesis; Autoantibodies - blood; Autoantibodies - immunology; Autoimmunity - drug effects; B-Cell Activating Factor - blood; B-Cell Activating Factor - immunology; Biomarkers - blood; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Hepacivirus - drug effects; Hepacivirus - immunology; Hepatitis C, Chronic - blood; Hepatitis C, Chronic - drug therapy; Hepatitis C, Chronic - immunology; Hepatitis C, Chronic - virology; Humans; Interferon-alpha - administration & dosage; Interferon-alpha - therapeutic use; Male; Middle Aged; Peroxidase - blood; Peroxidase - immunology; Polyethylene Glycols - administration & dosage; Polyethylene Glycols - therapeutic use; Prognosis; Recombinant Proteins - administration & dosage; Recombinant Proteins - therapeutic use; Ribavirin - administration & dosage; Ribavirin - therapeutic use; Sex Factors; Thyroid Gland - drug effects; Thyroid Gland - immunology; Thyroid Gland - pathology
• ISSN: 1740-2522; 1740-2530
• DOI: 10.1155/2012/247973

Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients frequently suffer from thyroid disorders during interferon therapy. However, the mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the association between serum B-cell-activating factor belonging to the TNF family (BAFF) levels and the presence of antithyroid peroxidase antibody (anti-TPO) in CHC patients treated with pegylated interferon alpha and ribavirin combination therapy. Six months after the therapy, anti-TPO antibody was detected in 10 (males, 1; females, 9) of 50 patients. The mean age of these patients was higher than that of the anti-TPO-negative patients (61 yr versus 55 yr). Before treatment, the serum BAFF levels of the anti-TPO-positive patients were higher than those of the anti-TPO-negative patients. After starting therapy, the serum BAFF levels of both the anti-TPO-positive and -negative patient groups were elevated. Our findings suggest that the serum BAFF concentration before therapy can predict the risk of thyroid autoimmunity in elderly female patients with CHC.