Cryoglobulinemic vasculitis as an extrahepatic manifestation of HCV infec- tion

Abstract

The problem of viral hepatitis C remains highly relevant despite the recent signifi cant advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of this pathology. Chronic hepatitis C is a systemic disease with extrahepatic manifestations. Autoimmune processes leading to cryoglobulinemia can contribute to their development. Basic clinical manifestations include cutaneous vasculitis with palpable purpura, arthralgia-myalgia, neuropathy, and renal complications such as glomerulonephritis. Polyneuropathies develop much earlier than hepatic encephalopathy, which is characteristic of liver damage. A clinical case represented in the article was noted in a patient with a long-term course of viral hepatitis C, manifested with pronounced neurological symptoms and the development of cryoglobulinemic vasculitis. In this case, of all the applied methods of treatment, only adequately conducted antiviral therapy contributed to the stabilization of the clinical manifestations of cryoglobulinemia. The promptness of antiviral therapy is of signifi cant importance, since it is a possibility to prevent the development of severe autoimmune pathology.