Hepatitis virus-related and ethanol-induced chronic liver disease with or without cryoglobulins - Is there a difference concerning clinical or laboratory manifestation?

Mixed cryoglobulinemia is frequent in southern Europe and attributed to hep atitis C infection. We analyzed prevalence and clinical symptoms of mixed c ryoglobulinemia in our region among patients with chronic hepatitis C (n = 29) and B (n = 7) in comparison to alcoholic liver cirrhosis without eviden ce of hepatitis virus infection (n = 10). Cryoglobulinemia was found in 13/ 29 patients with hepatitis C (11 type III, one type II-III and one type II) , 2/7 with hepatitis B (one type II, one type III) and 4/10 with alcoholic liver cirrhosis (one type II, three type III). Patients with moderate activ e hepatitis had more type II than type III cryoglobulins, Concerning clinic al symptoms, only sicca syndrome was more frequent in patients with hepatit is C, Rheumatoid factor (RF) and immune globulin M (IgM) levels were higher in hepatitis C than in the other groups. Renal disease was rare in all but not different between the groups, Mixed cryoglobulinemia in hepatitis C (a nd B) is most frequently of type iii, Patients with hepatitis C had the sam e prevalence of cryoglobulins as patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis. C ryoglobulins had no influence on clinical syndromes or organ damage.