title: The potential role of hepatitis C virus in the pathogenesis of the neurological syndrome in chronic hepatitis C.
abstract: A 72-year-old man developed chronic sensory neuropathy (CSN) during chronic hepatitis C (HCV) infection. Neurological symptoms began one year after acute HCV hepatitis and slowly worsened over three years. No conventional cause for CSN was found. Circulating antinervous tissue antibodies (including anti-Hu) and inflammatory infiltrates in sural nerve biopsy specimens were absent. However, the presence of anti-HCV antibody and HCV-RNA in cerebrospinal fluid indicated that HCV had reached the intrathecal compartment, suggesting the direct viral involvement in the pathogenesis of CSN.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, University of Siena, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Caudai
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Maimone
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Almi
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Annunziata
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bastianoni
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Boggiano
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Guazzi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Padula
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Valensin
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications*; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000821:virology*; D009475:Neurons, Afferent; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral