[Anti-HCV and HCV RNA in patients with the primary Sjögren syndrome]

The subject of study were 104 patients with the primary Sjögren Syndrome (p. Sj. s.) in whom markers of hepatitis C infection were investigated. All the patients fulfilled the criteria of the European Expert Group of the Sjögren Syndrome. Antibodies anti-HCV were found in 20 patients (19.2%) and HCV-RNA found in 5 patients (4.8%). These data were compared with those observed in several European countries and Japan. The following percentages of anti-HCV were observed until now in p.Sj.s. patients: Swedish--2%, Hungarian--6%, Japanese--12%, French--17%, Polish--19% and Spanish--26%. Our patients in whom liver data were available, showed only minor elevations of ALT and AST. International team of experts postulated the delineation of the disease entity: 'HCV-related primary Sjögren syndrome', separate from the p.Sj.s. itself. If this will be substantiated, we can put forward the hypotesis that 'HCV-related p.Sj.s.' may develop in a special subgroup of persons, perhaps genetically predisposed, and is a part of extrahepatic manifestations of HCV infection.