Mild sialoadenitis: a common finding in patients with hepatitis C virus infection.
BACKGROUND
Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune disease of presumed viral origin; sialoadenitis has been reported to occur in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.


METHODS
Lip biopsy specimens were graded in 32 consecutive patients with either HCV-related chronic liver disease or SS.


RESULTS
Seventeen of 22 HCV-positive patients had sialoadenitis, although generally mild (15 of 17, grades I-II). Severe inflammation (grades III-IV) was observed in 8 of 10 patients with SS (chi-square = 12.6; P < 0.0005). Moreover, HCV-positive patients with sialoadenitis differed from patients with SS in female sex prevalence (6 of 17 versus 10 of 10; chi-square = 10.9; P = 0.0001) and presence of serum antinuclear autoantibodies (0 of 17 versus 9 of 10; chi-square = 23.0; P < 0.0001). Five of 13 HCV-positive patients and 7 of 8 patients with SS were HLA-DR3-positive (chi-square = 4.9; P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Sialoadenitis of HCV-related liver disease is common but differs from SS with regard to predisposing genetic factors, expression of autoimmune markers, and histopathologic severity.
Pirisi
M
M
Dept. of Internal Medicine, University of Udine, Italy.
Scott
C
C
Fabris
C
C
Ferraccioli
G
G
Soardo
G
G
Ricci
R
R
Toniutto
P
P
Avellini
C
C
Vitulli
D
D
Miotti
A M
AM
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012793:Sialadenitis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D012859:Sjogren's Syndrome / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology