title: High incidence of extrahepatic manifestations in an HCV hyperendemic area.
abstract: We previously investigated the incidence of extrahepatic manifestations including oral precancerous disease among the inhabitants in a hepatitis C virus (HCV) hyperendemic area in Fukuoka in Japan. The present study design was based on a prospective cohort at the other HCV hyperendemic area. One oral surgeon examined the oral lesions of 59 adult inhabitants (21 men, 38 women; mean age of 70.7 years), of a hyperendemic area of HCV infection. Furthermore, all subjects were interviewed regarding the natural history of extrahepatic manifestations. All sera were examined for antibodies to HCV (anti-HCV), serum HCV RNA, HCV genotype, antinuclear antibody (ANA), rheumatoid factor (RF) activity, and anti-SS-A and-B antibodies. Anti-HCV or HCV RNA was detected in sera from 59 (100%) or 57 (96.7%) of all subjects. Oral lichen planus (OLP), leukoplakia with leukoedema, or only leukoedema was observed in 8 (8.5%), 1 (1.7%), or 2 (3.4%) subjects, respectively. The incidence of all subjects with one or more HCV-related extrahepatic manifestation was 66.1% (39/59). The subjects with dry mouth were 25.4% (15/59). There was no relation among these autoantibodies, symptoms of dry mouth, or prevalence of HCV-associated extrahepatic manifestations. These findings demonstrate that the inhabitants with HCV infection showed various extrahepatic manifestations, and was not always limited to specific HCV areas.
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Innovative Cancer Therapy, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, 830 0011, Fukuoka, Japan
authors.forename: Yumiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nagao
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakanishi
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Moriya
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Katayama
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kumagai
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Komiya
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Itoh
authors.forename: Yoshinari
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Myoken
authors.forename: Megumu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujihara
authors.forename: Michio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sata
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yoshizawa