Re: Prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

[Guest guest]

I apologize if I sound ignorant, but what does this mean? Are they

saying that people with RA may have Hep C also?

>

> Prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection in patients with

rheumatoid

> arthritis.

>

> Maillefert JF, Muller G, Falgarone G, Bour JB, Ratovohery D,

Dougados

> M, Tavernier C, Breban M.

>

> Department of Rheumatology, Rene Descartes University, AP-HP,

Cochin

> Hospital, Paris, France.

>

> BACKGROUND: Various viruses have been implicated in the cause and

> pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Hepatitis C virus (HCV)

> infection, which has been recognised as a cause of some autoimmune

> diseases, and which has been described as sometimes presenting

with

> rheumatic manifestations indistinguishable from RA, might be a

> candidate. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence of HCV infection

in

> patients with RA. METHODS: Consecutive patients with RA admitted

to

> hospital in two departments of rheumatology were prospectively

> studied. Patients' serum samples were screened for the presence of

> anti-HCV antibodies. Patients with positive serology were further

> evaluated for the presence of HCV ribonucleic acid by reverse

> transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: 309

> patients (232 women, 77 men, mean age (SD) 54.1 (14.8) years) were

> studied. Their mean (SD) disease duration was 74.1 (91) months.

Tests

> for rheumatoid factors and antinuclear antibodies were positive in

> 213 (69%) and 114 (37%) of the patients respectively. Systemic

> vasculitis was found in 12 (4%) of the patients. Mean erythrocyte

> sedimentation rate was 36.4 (SD 30.5) mm at the first hour (normal

> <10 mm) and C reactive protein was 36.8 (SD 45.8) mg/l (normal

range

> <5 mg/l), respectively, with 181(58.6%) of patients considered as

> having active disease. Aspartate transaminases were increased in

14

> (4%) patients, and alkaline phosphatase in 14 (4%). A positive anti-

> HCV serology was found in two (0.65%) patients, including one with

a

> previously diagnosed HCV infection. HCV RNA was positive by RT-PCR

in

> one of those two patients. CONCLUSION: A 0.65% prevalence of past

or

> active HCV infection was found in patients with RA, which did not

> differ from the prevalence of HCV in the general French

population.

> This result does not support the participation of HCV infection in

> the pathogenesis of RA.

>

> PMID: 12079907 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

>

> http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?

> cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstract & list_uids=12079907 & query_hl=2

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