Systematic cutaneous examination in hepatitis C virus infected patients

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the frequency of skin changes among 100 patients from the Hepatogastroenterology Department of the University Hospital, Strasbourg, France who were hepatitis C virus-positive (HCV) and HIV-negative. Their clinical data were compared to those of 50 HCV-, and HIV-negative patients from the same Department, who suffered from various liver diseases. Psoriasis, rosacea, seborrheic dermatitis, cherry angiomas, spider nevus and skin cancers were noted in similar proportions in the two groups. In 15% of HCV-positive patients vs. 4% of controls, chronic pruritus was noted (p < 0.05). In 9 HCV-positive patients, pruritus was not related to itching dermatosis, and only 2 of these patients had mild cholestasis. Four cases of lichen planus vs. 0 in the control group were recorded. The virological data of patients with pruritus or lichen planus were not different than those of the rest of the group. Our findings indicate that systematic skin check-up in HCV-positive patients is valuable.