Clinicopathological study on hepatitis C virus-associated glomerulonephritis without hepatitis C virus in the blood.
OBJECTIVE
Patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV)-associated glomerulonephritis in whom HCV RNA was not detected in the blood have been reported. We attempted to uncover the differences between HCV RNA-negative and HCV RNA-positive cases.


METHODS
The clinical and pathological findings for 5 patients with HCV-associated glomerulonephritis without HCV in the blood were compared with those for 23 patients with HCV RNA-positive HCV-associated glomerulonephritis.


RESULTS
The HCV RNA-negative cases were characterized by advanced age, female dominance, no cryoglobulinemia and no glomerular deposition of IgG compared with the HCV RNA-positive cases, although no differences were observed in amount of urinary protein, frequency of nephrotic syndrome, serum levels of total protein, creatinine level, presence of hypocomplementemia and rheumatoid factor. The prognosis was similar for both groups.


CONCLUSIONS
These cases point to the need for further study of the pathogenesis of this disease.
Yamabe
Hideaki
H
Department of Nephrology, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan. yamabe@cc.hirosaki-u.ac.jp
Nakamura
Norio
N
Shimada
Michiko
M
Murakami
Reiichi
R
Fujita
Takeshi
T
Shimaya
Yuko
Y
Kitajima
Maiko
M
Urushizaka
Mayumi
M
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005921:Glomerulonephritis / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*
D015415:Biomarkers; D012367:RNA, Viral