Hashimoto's Disease from Hep C treatment????

Almost two years ago I was diagnosised with Hep C and started treatment almost immediately.  Prior to this I considered myself to be healthy, I was very rarely sick until now.  After treatment my immune system was trashed and it seemed that I was always getting sick.  Now two years later I am still consistantly exhausted everyday!!! I have been complaining for almost a year maybe even long about this exhaustion.  My doctor contributed this to my immune system being shot from the treatment I underwent.  Until about 8 weeks ago, my doctor did blood work and found that my thyroid test was off.  She did further tests, I have thryogobulin antibodies and the right side of my thyroid is larger than the left.  She did more blood work and called today to tell me that I have hasimoto's disease.  She asked if my family had any thyroid disease.  Thryoid is family related, supposedly, except that there is absolutely NO family history of thyroid disease in my family.  My question is, does anyone know if Hep C treatment can cause a person to get hashimoto's disease?  

[epiphiny]

Yes, I believe that thyroid problems can be a side effect of the treatment and I believe several members here have had their thyroid removed as a consequence.  I believe NYGirl is one, hopefully she will respond to this thread.  I understand there is medication available that can help you with this.  Sorry I don't know too much more but you could try searching this community under thyroid and hashimoto disease to find other discussions..

[epiphiny]

Just found this about interferon related thyroid issues, might be helpful.

[jdwithhcv]

I developed hashimoto's as a result of tx.  Like you, I had no family history and no thyroid problems before I treated for HCV.  I take levothyroxene (synthroid) daily, and will have to do so for life.  Its easily controlled, but it can take a few tries to dial in the correct dosage.  Good luck with that.

jd

[Tippyclubb]

Hashitoto's disease means you are hypo thyroid and your immune system is attacking your thyroid.  Being hypo means your thyroid is not making enough hormones that your body needs to function properly.  

Fatigue is one of the major symptoms of being hypo thyroid, as is hair loss, puffiness of the face, and weight gain.  Do you know what your TSH level is?  Did they also test for T3 and T4?  The higher your tsh number is the worse you will feel.  The good news is that your thyroid levels can be controlled with one pill a day, called Synthroid.  Once you get your levels right you should feel better, but it takes time.

Interferon wreaked havoc with my thyroid and I switched over from being hypo to hyper.  

[Tippyclubb]

MedHelp has a Thyroid forum with a lot of good information.  Click on forums at the top of the page and go to thyroid disorders.  

[epiphiny]

oooops, forgot to add the link!

http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/reprint/89/8/3656.pdf

[Trish77]

I have Hashimoto's too - sounds much worse than it is when you get told that you have Hashimoto's Disease rather than being told you have a thyroid disorder.  As the others have said, it means you're hypothyroid - your body isn't producing enough hormones so the daily medication you'll take replaces those hormones.  I went hyperthyroid on treatment first and then it switched over to hypthyroid.

Thyroidism is an autoimmune disease and interferon can trigger autoimmune diseases. If it makes you feel any better, there's a good chance you would have developed this at some point anyway, seeing you have Hashimoto's and the interferon triggered it.  About 10-15% of women have this condition regardless.  

You'll see an endocrinologist who will run tests on you and determine your own status and will figure out how much synthetic thyroid you need to take per day to replace the hormones your body is no longer producing.  The endo will check out the swelling once your thyroid is regulated with synthroid, that should hopefully settle out.  In a much smaller percentage of cases, the complications are worse.  In most cases, it's a pill a day once the dosage is right and carry on.

I don't know of several members that have had their thyroid removed, I know of one but I think most of us are simply taking synthroid daily - no side effects that I know of.

[cwar]

does anyone know if a TSH reading of 1.57 is normal///////poor//////// good?

Thanks

[GreatBird]

Each lab should show you the high and low thresholds on the report. If you take that information and go here:

http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/tsh/test.html

it will help you interpret the resutls.

BTW--to my limited knowledge your husband's result is within normal range. There are other thyroid results the look at (T3 and T4). I can't say as I understand why, but perhaps his results there bear looking into.

[Trish77]

Cwar:  According to this article and other things I've read on the subject, normal reference range for TSH is between .3 and 3.0.  Your husband falls well within that.  When I was on treatment, I first went hyperthyroid.  My TSH was at .04. I first thought what I was experiencing was simply another side effect but it was starting to get extreme - my hands were shaking constantly and noticeably and my equilibrium was off, I couldn't take the down escalator at work anymore because I couldn't trust my balance to get on them properly.  I started wondering about thyroid when my ALT/AST started rising and my doc asked me to hold out my hands and immediately said "thyroid - let's get you tested for thyroid" - the same docs at where your husband is being treated. :)  He immediately put me on beta blockers which helped considerably with my symptoms and got me into an endocrinologist.  After a period of weeks, I went the other direction and went hypothyroid.

To make a long story short - your husband's levels are within normal range and the docs where he's being treated are on the ball with thyroid issues being potential complications resulting from interferon.  Always good to keep an eye on such things yourself though - some things I brought up to my nurse, she hadn't considered herself but the doc confirmed it for me.

http://thyroid.about.com/od/gettestedanddiagnosed/a/normaltshlevel.htm

[IAmTheWalrus]

I am not sure about the relation between HCV, TX and Hashimoto's disease, but there have been many complaints of thyroid problems post TX here on this forum. Best Luck.

[Trish77]

There is also a definite and known co-relation to thryoid issues triggered by interferon.  Thyroidism is an autoimmune disease and interferon can trigger autoimmune diseases.  Thyroid issues are not unknown to happen as a result of treatment and I think I read somewhere the stat is around 20% occurrences?  I wouldn't quote me on that, will have to put some time into research.  A number of us have experienced the onset of thyroid issues during treatment and my doc was not at all surprised by it when it manifested itself and got me into care "toot-sweet".   (That's the bastardized English translation of "tout de suite" - immediately - "toot sweet" being a phrase we use often. :)

[Researcher312]

I was diagnosed 5 years ago with Hep-C went on interferon tx it didn't work, was on it only about 3 months. Right around the 3 month I went hypothyroid, severely. Went on synthyroid, then went hyperthyroid, took methimazole, went back hypo...etc. I have been battling back and forth hyper/hypo for 3 yrs now. It's miserable, always being at one extreme or the other. They say I have Graves Disease, I am so sure that the interferon brought this on as I never had any medical problems prior to the interferon. I am so at wits end with both hyper/hypo, Dr suggests killing thyroid, I'm not sure what to do. Will the synthroid really level everything(after killing thyroid), or will I just end up with all the side effects from the synthryoid anyway as I do get the side effects from both synthroid and methamazole. Seems I get about 3 months of feeling normal per year and then go opposite.

[Nikkitee99]

Hi,
I'm new to this thread but was wondering if anyone might have experienced something similar to this.  I'm frustrated beyond belief trying to help my dad.  He is now 68 and was diagnosed with Hep C in 1998.  He was persuaded to participate in a clinical trial for long course Peg/Ribavirin lasting 48 weeks.  At the start of therapy, baseline TSH was normal.  At about the 4th month of treatment, his TSH skyrockets to 50 and he has acute hypothyroidism.  He is medicated and marches forward with treatment.  At the same timepoint, he develops vague neurological symptoms including unsteady gait, vertigo, slurred speech.  The doctor tells him these are side effects of Interferon.  He wants to come of study but is persuaded to keep going until the 48th week.  Well, he makes it and is still clear of a detectable HCV viral load.  He continued on thyroid meds and neuro symptoms went away for about a year.  They returned tenfold a year later.  He goes to a prominent neuro group at a university hospital and MRI shows cerebellar degeneration.  He is losing ability to walk, talk and has some Parkinson features.  He is dismissed as having Multiple System Atrophy.  I come on the scene and review everything once he discloses the nightmare to me and my sister.  I note the thyroid dysfunction occurring at same time as neuro and interferon.  No thyroid antibodies ever done by anyone.  I beg and plead for someone to obtain.  I am scoffed at and laughed at for suggesting Hashi Encephalopathy by not 1 but 3 neuro's.  And his primary won't refer to Endo.  Finally, his most recent neuro orders TPO antibody and it is 200 (normal less than 40).  Surprised and now skimming my articles I keep sending her, she repeats and it is over 3x higher at 700.  But they still won't treat!  Steroids or IVIG can stop the progression I have read but nobody seems all that familiar with it.

Ultimately, has anyone out there experienced autoimmune hashi while on Interferon?  And then had neuro symptoms and gait and speech problems which persisted?  Does anyone know an MD on the West Coast who will treat this?  It seems ridiculous to me that doctors are so quick to give him a long shot diagnosis (MSA) which can only be proven at autopsy when the coincidence in timing to everything he is experiencing points directly to effects of Interferon, Hep C, autoimmune thyroid and neurological symptoms.....or rather Hashimoto's Encephalopathy.  Help??????