Multiple vasculopathies and hepatitis B in a family

A unique kindred with an unusual high incidence of serological markers of past or present hepatitis B infection was studied. None of eight relatives had clinical or chemical evidence of hepatitis and all were negative for IgM anti-hepatitis A, but four sisters, each with at least one hepatitis B marker, had features of rheumatic disorders. The index patient had polyarteritis nodosa, two sisters had Raynaud's disease, and the fourth and unclassifiable non-inflammatory polyarthralgia. A daughter of one sister with Raynaud's developed the aortic arch syndrome. There was no segregation of HLA-A, -B and -C alleles with hepatitis B infection. The intrafamilial occurrence of B virus infection and multiple vasculopathies suggests a wider role of this virus in inflammatory vessel diseases.