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A Flare of Hepatitis C Virus-Associated Cryoglobulinemic Vasculitis After COVID-19
Kenya Hamazaki1, Daichi Umemoto1, Tomohiro Asada1
1General Internal Medicine, Kobe City Medical Center West Hospital, Kobe, JPN.
Insights
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection triggered a severe flare of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-associated cryoglobulinemic vasculitis (CV) in an immunosuppressed patient. This case highlights the critical risk of severe COVID-19 exacerbating underlying autoimmune conditions.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Infectious Diseases
- Rheumatology
Background:
- Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-associated cryoglobulinemic vasculitis (CV) is a systemic autoimmune condition.
- Patients with CV often undergo immunosuppressive therapy, potentially increasing susceptibility to infections.
- Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection can trigger inflammatory responses and disease flares in various autoimmune conditions.
Abstract:
While undergoing treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV)-associated cryoglobulinemic vasculitis (CV), a 53-year-old male contracted coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), resulting in a disease flare. Although HCV became negative due to the use of glecaprevir/pibrentasvir, CV remained uncontrolled, and the patient was treated with prednisolone, azathioprine, colchicine, and rituximab. He had not been vaccinated against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). He was infected with SARS-CoV-2, likely the omicron variant, and developed a severe illness. However, mechanical ventilation and the administration of remdesivir, dexamethasone, unfractionated heparin, and tocilizumab improved his respiratory failure. Despite improvement in respiratory failure, the patient's skin lesions and peripheral neuropathy rapidly worsened, followed by the development of intestinal ischemia, which led to death. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of acute exacerbation immediately after SARS-CoV-2 infection of HCV-associated CV on immunosuppressive therapy.
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