Abstract
Porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) is a rare metabolic disorder characterized by an abnormal porphyrin metabolism and typical cutaneous lesions. Recently a strong association between PCT and hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been proposed. Studies in south Europe have shown high prevalence (53 to 91%) of HCV markers in patients with PCT. We studied HCV genotypes in 72 subjects: 40 with PCT and 32 patients with chronic liver disease. A high rate of HCV-RNA positive PCT patients (84%) was observed, reflecting an active HCV replication, the genotypes study showed a prevalence of genotype 1b in PCT patients (61.2%). These findings implicate HCV in the aetiology of PCT-associated liver disease suggesting that hepatitis C serological and virological testing could be indicated in all patients with PCT.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 329-334 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | New Microbiologica |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Publication status | Published - Oct 1998 |
Keywords
- HCV genotypes
- Hepatitis
- Porphyria cutanea tarda
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Microbiology
- Microbiology (medical)