title: Anti-cyclic citrullinated Peptide frequency in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection and effect of presence of systemic disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection may show a variety of rheumatic symptoms and signs. Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) is widely used as as a marker, particularly for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and may be positive in some diseases that also cause arthritis, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, familial Mediterranean fever, Behçet's disease, and psoriatic arthritis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Blood samples were obtained (in routine protocols) from 57 patients with chronic HCV infection from the Gastroenterology Clinic of Ataturk University and Infectious Disease Clinic of Erzurum Region Research and Education Hospital. Normal sera were obtained from volunteer blood donors at Ataturk University.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Anti-CCP antibodies were found in 5 chronic HCV patients with RA. The patient with the highest anti-CCP antibody level had RA. No patient in the control group was positive for anti-CCP antibodies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies should be measured frequently in patients with HCV and an additional systemic disease, such as end-stage chronic renal failure, chronic obstructive airway disease, and decompensated liver cirrhosis, to differentiate RA from non-RA arthropathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Erzurum Region Education and Research Hospital, Erzurum, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ayse
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Albayrak
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hakan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dursun
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey.
authors.forename: Muhammet Hamidullah
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Uyanik
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey.
authors.forename: Serkan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cerrah
keywords: Anti-CCP; Chronic hepatitis C virus; Rheumatoid arthritis