Steroid-refractory chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura associated with hepatitis C virus infection

• Published in: European journal of haematology 2002-01, Vol.68 (1), p.49-53
• Main Authors: Sakuraya, Masataka, Murakami, Hirokazu, Uchiumi, Hideki, Hatsumi, Nahoko, Akiba, Tohoru, Yokohama, Akihiko, Matsushima, Takafumi, Tsukamoto, Norifumi, Morita, Kimio, Karasawa, Masamitsu, Ogawara, Hatsue, Nojima, Yoshihisa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Autoimmune Diseases - complications; Autoimmune Diseases - drug therapy; Autoimmune Diseases - immunology; Autoimmune Diseases - surgery; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Combined Modality Therapy; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Hematologic and hematopoietic diseases; Hepatitis C - complications; Hepatitis C - diagnosis; Hepatitis C - immunology; Hepatitis C Antibodies - blood; hepatitis C virus; Human viral diseases; Humans; idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura; Immunosuppressive Agents - therapeutic use; Infectious diseases; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; platelet; Platelet Count; Platelet diseases and coagulopathies; platelet-associated IgG; Prednisolone - therapeutic use; Prospective Studies; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic - complications; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic - drug therapy; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic - immunology; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic - surgery; Remission Induction; RNA, Viral - blood; Splenectomy; steroid; Viral diseases; Viral hepatitis
• ISSN: 0902-4441; 1600-0609
• DOI: 10.1034/j.1600-0609.2002.00509.x

: Objectives: Hepatitis C virus infection has often been suggested as a possible cause of various kinds of autoimmune diseases. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) and hepatitis C virus infection and to characterize the clinical features of anti‐HCV antibody (HCVab) positive chronic ITP patients. Subjects and methods: We studied HCVab in 79 patients with chronic ITP (25 males, 54 females, mean age 42.3 yr, range 11–86 yr) using the third‐generation ELISA method. Results: HCVab was detected in 11 of the 79 patients (13.9%). Quantitative HCV‐RNA studies showed a high serum concentration of HCV‐RNA in these patients. The platelet counts in these 11 HCVab‐positive patients (Group 1) were lower than in the 68 HCVab‐negative patients (Group 2)[(2.6 ± 0.9) versus (4.9 ± 3.0) × 1010/L, respectively; p