Thyroid disease in chronic hepatitis C Infection and interferon-α based therapy

This thesis was conceived from a number of published letters in the mid 2000's, which subsequently developed and flourished into its completion. The proposed questions and hypotheses led to the exploration of the topic of thyroid disease in the presence of chronic hepatitis C infection and combination interferon-α and ribavirin therapy. Early in its evolution, hepatitis C infection was chronic and considered incurable. However, with the discovery and therapeutic development of interferon, the condition became readily treatable. The initial efficacy with interferon-α monotherapy was poor but, in combination with ribavirin, it soon became the gold standard for chronic hepatitis C infection. As clinical experience with the combination therapy for hepatitis C grew, and together with the fact that this RNA virus is a highly immunogenic particle, extra-hepatic adverse events became increasingly evident. The most common of these is thyroid disease. This presented a golden opportunity to study this subject in great detail.