[Horton's disease in the course of chronic hepatitis C].
BACKGROUND
Vascularitis is a well-known extrahepatic manifestation of chronic hepatitis C. Mixed cryoglobulinemia is the most common form. To our knowledge, the present case is the first report associating chronic hepatitis C and temporal arteritis.


METHODS
A 56-year-old man with chronic hepatitis C in the precirrhogenic phase presented with fever and weight loss. The patient complained of pain of the scapular and pelvic girdles and headache and physical examination revealed claudication of the jaw and abolition of the upper limb pulses. Biopsy of the temporal artery confirmed the diagnosis of Horton's disease. The patient also had bilateral stenosis of the sub-clavian arteries.


CONCLUSIONS
This observation of Horton's disease involving large vessels in a patient with chronic hepatitis C suggests that an infectious factor might trigger vascularitis.
Védrine
L
L
Service de Médecine interne, Hôpital d'Instruction des Armées Percy, Clamart.
Debourdeau
P
P
Romand
F
F
Rault
A
A
Stoll
L
L
Cointet
F
F
Bérets
O
O
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000150:complications; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D013700:Giant Cell Arteritis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011859:Radiography; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013699:Temporal Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D000998:Antiviral Agents; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012254:Ribavirin