Hepatitis C Infections with Cryoglobulinemia: Features and Symptoms

Abstract

Study Objective: To study the incidence of cryoglobulinemia (CGE) in chronic hepatitis C infection (hepatitis C infection) and to analyse the characteristics of chronic hepatitis C infection with CGE in Belarusian patients. Study Design: Open non-randomised observational study. Materials and Methods. The study included 773 patients with chronic hepatitis C infection (in Minsk). The patients had their anti-hepatitis C antibodies, chronic hepatitis C RNA and virus genotype measured; blood cryoglobulins identified; demographic and epidemiological data collected; and complete blood assay and biochemical blood assay performed. Study Results. 282 (36.5%) subjects had positive blood cryoglobulins test, while 491 (63.5%) patients had negative result. CGE and non-CGE groups had comparable sex, BMI and infection duration parameters. CGE patients had statistically more surgeries (р < 0.001), clinical syndromes (including asthenovegetative, arthralgic and dyspeptic syndromes, р < 0.001 in all cases), hepatic fibrosis F3 (р < 0.05), hepatic cirrhosis (р < 0.001), and extrahepatic diseases (EHDs); more often they had genotype 3 of hepatitis C infection (р < 0.05) and low replicative activity of the virus (р < 0.05). Conclusion. The incidence of CGE in the study population made 36.5%. CGE patients had more pronounced hepatic process chronization, frequenter EHDs, more genotype 3 cases, and lower replicative activity of the virus. Keywords: hepatitis С, hepatic cirrhosis, cryoglobulinemia, extrahepatic diseases.