EPIDEMIOLOGY, CLINICAL SPECTRUM AND PROGNOSTIC VALUE OF MIXED CRYOGLOBULINEMIA IN HEPATITIS-C VIRUS PATIENTS - A PROSPECTIVE-STUDY

A prospective study was undertaken to evaluate the prevalence, inciden ce, clinical spectrum and prognostic value of mixed cryoglobulinaemia in HCV infection, Four-hundred and thirty-two consecutive patients wit h chronic liver disease, 303 HCV-related, 81 HBV-related, 14 nonB-nonC related, and 34 of nonviral aetiology were studied, Cryoglobulinaemia was detected in 139 (46%) of the HCV-related chronic hepatitis patien ts, in 4 (5%) of the HBV-related and in none of the chronic hepatitis patients of any other aetiology, Cryoglobulinaemia was associated with liver cirrhosis, the duration of liver disease and predominantly with the female sex, HCV and anti-HCV antibodies were present in all the c ryoprecipitates, All the HCV genotypes were associated with cryoglobul inaemia. In a high percentage of patients, the amount of cryoglobulina emia was low and about half of the cryoglobulinaemic patients showed a clinical syndrome, The incidence per year of cryoglobulinaemia (6%) a nd of related signs was low, A higher incidence of malignant lymphopro liferative diseases was observed in type II cryoglobulinaemia. The pre sence of a cryoglobulinaemia-related clinical syndrome plays a role in the prognosis of patients with chronic hepatitis C.