Acta Neurol Scand 2003 Feb;107(2):154-157
Kreisler A, De Seze J, Stojkovic T, Delisse B, Combelles M, Verier
A, Hautecoeur P, Vermersch P; For the Groupe septentrional d'etude et de
recherche sur la Sclerose en Plaques (G-SEP).
Department of Neurology, Lille University Hospital, Lille, France;
Department of Neurology, Regional Hospital, Lens, France; Marcq-en-Baroeul,
France; Department of Neurology, Regional Hospital, Valenciennes, France;
Department of Neurology, Saint Philibert Hospital, Lomme, France.
The objective of this study was to investigate frequency and presentation of clinical thyroid dysfunction in patients treated with interferon beta (IFN-beta).
We have collected the cases of clinical thyroid dysfunction in 700 consecutive patients receiving IFN-beta for multiple sclerosis (MS).
Five patients (four women, one man) treated with IFN-beta1b developed hyperthyroidism.
Three of them have secondary progressive MS, and two have relapsing-remitting MS.
It was necessary to stop IFN-beta in three cases; these patients still require carbimazole after several months.
In the two other cases, hyperthyroidism disappeared spontaneously.
Two patients (one man and one woman) treated with IFN-beta1a developed hypothyroidism.
One of them required l-thyroxine.
Lastly, an increased thyroid volume without modification of thyroid hormones plasma levels was discovered in a patient receiving IFN-beta1a.
Among patients treated with IFN-beta, clinical thyroid dysfunction is much rarer than laboratory thyroid dysfunction.
However, this side-effect is sometimes severe.