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Hepatitis C virus infection: prevalence in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis

E Taglione1, M L Vatteroni, P Martini

  • 1Department of Biomedicine, University of Pisa, Italy.

The Journal of Rheumatology
|February 11, 1999
PubMed

Insights

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is not linked to psoriasis but is significantly more prevalent in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) compared to the general population.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Dermatology

Background:

  • Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) are chronic inflammatory conditions.
  • The potential role of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in their pathogenesis is under investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of HCV infection in patients with psoriasis and PsA.
  • To compare HCV prevalence between these patient groups and controls.

Main Methods:

  • Anti-HCV antibodies were detected using ELISA and confirmed with RIBA.
  • Study groups included 50 patients with psoriasis, 50 with PsA, and 76 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
  • Data were compared with the general Italian population prevalence.

Main Results:

  • HCV prevalence was 10% in psoriasis, 12% in PsA, and 5.2% in RA patients.
  • HCV prevalence in psoriasis patients was not significantly different from controls.
  • HCV prevalence in PsA patients was significantly higher than in the general population.

Conclusions:

  • HCV infection does not appear to be a significant factor in the development of psoriasis.
  • A higher prevalence of HCV infection was observed in psoriatic arthritis patients compared to the general population.
Abstract

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