Hepatitis C virus, autoimmunity and lymphoproliferation

We summarize clinical, laboratory and pathologic details regarding a patient who presented with extrahepatic disease manifestations of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, including cryoglobulinemic leg ulcers due to cutaneous vasculitis, peripheral sensorimotor neuropathy, and recurrent pulmonary infiltrates. The patient had evidence for B-cell lymphoproliferation, diagnosed as extranodal lymphoma on initial (though not subsequent) bone marrow examination, retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy, and the presence of a Type II IgM6 monoclonal rheumatoid factor which became cryoprecipitable on complexing to IgG. Chronic hepatitis was mild on liver biopsy, though fibrotic changes developed over a three-year period of follow-up. She had consistently normal liver function tests, except for a brief rebound effect on discontinuing interferon-alpha, and preterminally. Symptoms were only partially responsive to trials of corticosteroids, cytotoxic agents, plasmapheresis and interferon, and the patient ultimately died at The Mount Sinai Hospital of sepsis. We review current information regarding the spectrum of extrahepatic HCV infection, including pathogenic factors relevant to its overlapping autoimmune, rheumatic and lymphoproliferative disease manifestations. The exact prevalence of these HCV-related syndromes among the 1% of the world population estimated to be infected by this virus remains to be delineated. Chronicity of infection, and lack of efficacy of currently available therapy in effecting sustained clearance of the virus from the host, have made this an important public health problem that is likely to increase in significance. Possible relationships to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma may present novel opportunities to delineate the basis for oncogenesis in HCV infection.