title: Neuromuscular diseases associated with chronic hepatitis C virus infection.
abstract: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a growing international health problem, and more than 170 million people are chronic carriers. Up to 50% of HCV-positive patients develop at least one extrahepatic manifestation during the course of disease. To varying degrees of certainty, there is evidence of an association between chronic HCV infection and a variety of neuromuscular diseases. The pathogenesis of most extrahepatic diseases remains unclear but possibly includes HCV lymphotropism and/or HCV-induced autoantibodies. The therapeutic approach to HCV-associated autoimmune disorders entails eradication of HCV with one of the recombinant interferon-alpha preparations with or without additional immunosuppressive drugs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Neuroscience, Cornell University Medical College/New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY 10065-4885, USA. pstuebge@med.cornell.edu
authors.forename: Joerg-Patrick
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Stübgen
mesh_terms: D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D015897:Comorbidity / Q000639:trends; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009135:Muscular Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D009468:Neuromuscular Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents