title: Hepatitis C virus and its genotypes in patients suffering from chronic hepatitis C with or without a cryoglobulinemia-related syndrome.
abstract: Recently, evidence has been presented for a possible association between hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and essential mixed cryoglobulinemia (EMC). Eleven consecutive patients with EMC and two with cryoglobulinemia type I were examined for the presence of markers of HCV infection. Eleven of 13 patients (10 with EMC and 1 with type I cryoglobulinemia) had anti-HCV antibodies (as determined by a second generation anti-HCV assay) and HCV-RNA in plasma or serum. HCV-RNA was also detected in liver biopsies of five patients. Genotyping showed that HCV genotype 1 was found in 10 of 11 patients with HCV-RNA (9 genotype 1b and 1 genotype 1a) and only one patient had HCV genotype 2. However, a similar high prevalence of genotype 1b (100%) was found in a group of 14 consecutive patients with chronic hepatitis C, who had no clinical evidence of cryoglobulinemia. Concomitant infection was present in three patients with genotypes 2, 3 and 4, respectively. These findings stress the high prevalence of HCV infection in patients with EMC and further study shows that a difference in genotype prevalence was not found between HCV-related EMC and chronic hepatitis C without clinical manifestations of EMC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Willems
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sheng
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Roskams
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ramdani
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Doutrelepont
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nevens
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Durez
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Treille
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Adler
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Desmet
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001483:Base Sequence; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003449:Cryoglobulinemia / Q000145:classification / Q000150:complications* / Q000821:virology; D003450:Cryoglobulins / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D015995:Prevalence; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D003450:Cryoglobulins; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D012367:RNA, Viral