Thyroid Disorders Common with Hepatitis C

Researchers report that people with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are at a significantly higher risk of having thyroid disorders. The study authors recommend that HCV patients should be periodically screened for thyroid function, in particular hypothyroidism, which affected 13 percent of the HCV patients in this study. HCV-infected patients also had higher rates of being positive for anti-thyroid autoantibodies, an early indicator of autoimmune thyroid disease. (SOURCE: American Journal of Medicine, July 1, 2004.)

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For more information on HCV, see this informational chart.