Cryoglobulinemia and progression of fibrosis in chronic HCV infection: cause or effect?

The Journal of Infection
Dimitrios SiagrisChryssoula Labropoulou-Karatza

Abstract

Mixed cryoglobulinemia (MC) is the most common extrahepatic manifestation of HCV infection. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of MC in HCV infected Greek patients and to identify if it is associated with liver histology or the mode of HCV transmission. One hundred and twenty-six patients with chronic HCV infection were evaluated for the presence of serum cryoglobulins, autoantibodies and viral markers. One hundred and eighteen of them underwent liver biopsy and each specimen was evaluated according to the grading and staging system described by Ishak et al. Cryoglobulins were detected in 37/126 (29.4%) HCV patients and cryocrit values ranged between 0.5 and 6.5%. Only two patients presented clear clinical manifestations of MC. In patients with MC, a higher grading (6.40+/-2.06 vs. 5.27+/-2.55, p=0.013) and staging score (3.71+/-1.45 vs. 2.83+/-1.84, p=0.007) was noted in liver biopsy compared to those without MC. Logistic regression analysis identified staging score (OR, 1.33; CI, 1.06-1.66, p=0.015) as the only independent variable associated with cryoglobulinemia. Correlation between the presence of cryoglobulins and the mode of HCV transmission was not found. Greek patients with chronic HCV infection have ...Continue Reading

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Citations

Sep 19, 2012·Clinical & Developmental Immunology·Takashi Himoto, Tsutomu Masaki
Mar 18, 2011·The Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases : an Official Publication of the Brazilian Society of Infectious Diseases·Luis Jesuino de Oliveira AndradeRaymundo Paraná
May 17, 2007·Revista Do Instituto De Medicina Tropical De São Paulo·Edison Roberto PariseKátia Ramos Leite
Nov 1, 2007·The American Journal of Gastroenterology·Susanne CarmackDhanpat Jain
Nov 22, 2005·Southern Medical Journal·Smruti R Mohanty

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