title: Low vitamin D levels are associated with the presence of serum cryoglobulins in patients with chronic HCV infection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Mixed Cryoglobulinemia (MC) represents the most frequent extrahepatic manifestation of chronic Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection. Its pathogenic mechanisms involve HCV-induced chronic stimulation of B-lymphocytes. We aimed to investigate the relationship between serum levels of vitamin D (a regulator of immune response) and the presence of serum cryoglobulins in the setting of HCV infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated the serum concentration of 25(OH)vitamin D and cryoglobulins in 106 patients with chronic HCV infection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty patients (28.3%) showed the presence of serum cryoglobulins. For the cohort overall, the median serum 25(OH)vitamin D level was 10.95 ng/ml. Patients with serum cryoglobulins had significantly lower levels of 25(OH)vitamin D (5.61 ng/ml) than those without (13.65 ng/ml, p=0.029). At multivariate analysis, severe hypovitaminosis [i.e. 25(OH)vitamin D <13 ng/ml] was the only independent predictor of cryoglobulinemia (odds ratio=3.108).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Severe deficiency of vitamin D was independently associated with mixed cryoglobulinemia in patients with HCV infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery - Section of Infectious Diseases, Federico II, University of Naples, Naples, Italy ivan.gentile@unina.it.
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gentile
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery - Section of Infectious Diseases, Federico II, University of Naples, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Filomena
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Scarano
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery - Section of Infectious Diseases, Federico II, University of Naples, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Celotti
authors.affiliation: National Tumor Institute "Fondazione G. Pascale", Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Enrica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: DE Iuliis
authors.affiliation: National Tumor Institute "Fondazione G. Pascale", Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Rosanna
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Scarano
authors.affiliation: National Tumor Institute "Fondazione G. Pascale", Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenza
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Granata
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery - Section of Infectious Diseases, Federico II, University of Naples, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Biagio
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pinchera
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, Federico II, University of Naples, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Mariangela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Meola
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, Federico II, University of Naples, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonietta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: D'Ambra
authors.affiliation: National Tumor Institute "Fondazione G. Pascale", Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Piccirillo
authors.affiliation: National Tumor Institute "Fondazione G. Pascale", Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Flaviano
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: DI Paola
authors.affiliation: National Tumor Institute "Fondazione G. Pascale", Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Ernesta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cavalcanti
authors.affiliation: National Tumor Institute "Fondazione G. Pascale", Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Izzo
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, Federico II, University of Naples, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Scarpato
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery - Section of Infectious Diseases, Federico II, University of Naples, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Guglielmo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Borgia
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D003450:Cryoglobulins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000097:blood*; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000097:blood* / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D003450:Cryoglobulins; D014807:Vitamin D
keywords: Hepatitis C; extrahepatic manifestation; immune regulation; low-antigen diet; lymphoma; metabolism