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Prevalence of rheumatologic manifestations of chronic hepatitis C virus infection among Egyptians

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Abstract

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) viremia has been known to provoke a plethora of autoimmune syndromes referred to as extrahepatic manifestations of chronic HCV infection. Aim of the current study was to assess the prevalence of rheumatologic manifestations among Egyptians with hepatitis C infection and its’ association with cryoglobulin profile. The current research represents a cross-sectional study where patients with chronic HCV infection attending the outpatient clinic of the National Hepatology and Tropical Medicine Research Institute over a period of 1 year were interviewed. Patients with decompensated liver disease, on interferon therapy, having end-stage renal disease or coexisting viral infection like hepatitis B surface antibody positive patients were all excluded from the research. Laboratory investigations as well as serological assay including cryoglobulin profile, rheumatoid factor, antinuclear antibody, HCV-PCR were performed. Three hundred and six patients having chronic HCV infection were interviewed in this research. The overall estimated prevalence of rheumatologic manifestations in the current research was 16.39%, chronic fatigue syndrome 9.5%, sicca symptoms 8.8%, arthralgia 6.5%, fibromyalgia 1.9%, myalgia 1.3%, arthritis 0.7%, cryoglobulinemic vasculitis 0.7%, autoimmune hemolytic anemia 0.7%, thrombocytopenia 0.7%. Xerophthalmia was significantly present in male population (p = 0.04), whereas fibromyalgia, cryoglobulinemic vasculitis, arthritis, and autoimmune hemolytic anemia were significantly present in female population under study (p < 0.05). In chronic HCV genotype 4 infection, the prevalence of rheumatologic manifestations was 16.3% with chronic fatigue syndrome and sicca sysmptoms being the most common with no significant correlation to the degree of elevation of liver disease or viral load.

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Acknowledgment

To the National Hepatology and Tropical Medicine Institute, Cairo, Egypt for giving us the ample support and facilities to achieve the study requirements.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Rheumatology and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University Hospitals, Cairo, Egypt

    Reem Hamdy Abdellatif Mohammed

  2. Tropical Medicine, Hepatology and Gastroenterology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University Hospitals, Cairo, Egypt

    Hesham Ibrahim ElMakhzangy & Gamal Esmat

  3. Department of Community, Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt

    Amira Gamal & Fatma Mekky

  4. Department of Hepatology, National Hepatology and Tropical Medicine Research Institute, Cairo, Egypt

    Mohammed El Kassas

  5. Department of Dermatology, National Hepatology and Tropical Medicine Research Institute, Cairo, Egypt

    Nabil Mohammed

  6. Department of Clinical Pathology, National Hepatology and Tropical Medicine Institute, Cairo, Egypt

    Mohammed Abdel Hamid

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  1. Reem Hamdy Abdellatif Mohammed
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  2. Hesham Ibrahim ElMakhzangy
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  3. Amira Gamal
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Correspondence to Reem Hamdy Abdellatif Mohammed.

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The research was funded by the Sustained Search Institute (SSI).

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Mohammed, R.H.A., ElMakhzangy, H.I., Gamal, A. et al. Prevalence of rheumatologic manifestations of chronic hepatitis C virus infection among Egyptians. Clin Rheumatol 29, 1373–1380 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-010-1463-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-010-1463-x

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