TY - JOUR
T1 - Hepatitis C virus infection and primary Sjögren's Syndrome
T2 - A clinical and serologic description of 9 patients
AU - Ceribelli, A.
AU - Cavazzana, I.
AU - Cattaneo, R.
AU - Franceschini, F.
PY - 2008/12
Y1 - 2008/12
N2 - Objective: To define the clinical and immunologic profile of 9 patients with Sjögren's Syndrome (SS) and Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Patients: 9 out of 305 patients with SS, diagnosed according to the criteria proposed in 2002, had repeated positive serology for HCV. Results: 9 female patients were studied. The mean age at onset of SS was 59 years, with a mean period of follow-up of 7.1 years. All the patients had glandular manifestations and they were all positive for dacryologic tests. Salivary gland biopsy was performed in 4 patients, all showing characteristic lymphocytic infiltrate. The main extraglandular features were arthralgias, photosensitivity, purpura, thyroiditis. All the patients were positive for anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA): 6 anti-Ro/SSA, 3 anti-Ro/SSA and anti-La/SSB positive. HCV-positive SS were compared with 296 patients with primary SS. They showed higher mean age (p = 0.01), higher prevalence of photosensitivity (p = 0.0266) and circulating cryoglobulins (p = 0.0372). In primary SS, most patients had anti-Ro/SSA antibodies alone (49.8%) or associated to anti-La/SSB (46.5%). Five patients (1.8%) had other ANA specificities. Conclusions: A chronic HCV infection is concomitant in about 3% of patients with pSS. They differ from patients without HCV infection for the higher prevalence of photosensitivity and cryoglobulins, without clinical manifestations of cryoglobulinemia.
AB - Objective: To define the clinical and immunologic profile of 9 patients with Sjögren's Syndrome (SS) and Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Patients: 9 out of 305 patients with SS, diagnosed according to the criteria proposed in 2002, had repeated positive serology for HCV. Results: 9 female patients were studied. The mean age at onset of SS was 59 years, with a mean period of follow-up of 7.1 years. All the patients had glandular manifestations and they were all positive for dacryologic tests. Salivary gland biopsy was performed in 4 patients, all showing characteristic lymphocytic infiltrate. The main extraglandular features were arthralgias, photosensitivity, purpura, thyroiditis. All the patients were positive for anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA): 6 anti-Ro/SSA, 3 anti-Ro/SSA and anti-La/SSB positive. HCV-positive SS were compared with 296 patients with primary SS. They showed higher mean age (p = 0.01), higher prevalence of photosensitivity (p = 0.0266) and circulating cryoglobulins (p = 0.0372). In primary SS, most patients had anti-Ro/SSA antibodies alone (49.8%) or associated to anti-La/SSB (46.5%). Five patients (1.8%) had other ANA specificities. Conclusions: A chronic HCV infection is concomitant in about 3% of patients with pSS. They differ from patients without HCV infection for the higher prevalence of photosensitivity and cryoglobulins, without clinical manifestations of cryoglobulinemia.
KW - Anti-Ro/SSA
KW - Cryoglobulinemia
KW - Hepatitis C virus infection
KW - Sjögren's Syndrome
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=56349159319&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=56349159319&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.autrev.2008.07.003
DO - 10.1016/j.autrev.2008.07.003
M3 - Article
C2 - 18692602
AN - SCOPUS:56349159319
VL - 8
SP - 92
EP - 94
JO - Autoimmunity Reviews
JF - Autoimmunity Reviews
SN - 1568-9972
IS - 2
ER -