Concise reports
Hepatitis C virus infection in `primary' Sjögren's syndrome:
prevalence and clinical significance in a series of 90 patients
a Systemic Autoimmune
Diseases Unit , b and the Department
of Microbiology , c Hospital
Clínic, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Correspondence to: Dr R Cervera, Unitat de Malalties Autoimmunes Sistèmiques, Hospital Clínic, C/Villarroel, 170, 08036 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
Accepted for publication 2 January
1997
OBJECTIVES
To determine the prevalence and
clinical significance of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in a large
cohort of patients with `primary' Sjögren's syndrome (SS).
METHODS90 consecutive patients (83 female and
seven male) were included, with a mean age of 62 years (range 31-80)
who prospectively visited our unit. All patients fulfilled the European
Community criteria for SS and underwent a complete history, physical
examination, as well as biochemical and immunological evaluation for
liver disease. Serum from all patients was tested for antibodies to HCV
by third generation enzyme linked immunoassay and positivity was
confirmed by polymerase chain reaction.
RESULTSAntibodies to HCV were present in 13 (14%) patients with `primary' SS. When compared with patients
without HCV infection, patients with HCV infection presented a higher
prevalence of hepatic involvement (100% v 8%, p < 0.05). Transcutaneous liver biopsy was performed in five patients with
HCV infection, and specimens obtained showed in all cases a chronic
active hepatitis with varying degrees of portal inflammation.
CONCLUSIONHCV infection is frequent in patients
with `primary' SS and liver involvement is present in all these
patients. The possible pathogenic role of HCV infection in these
patients is still unclear.
© 1997 by Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
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