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Purpura with Cold Urticaria in a Patient with Hepatitis C Virus Infection‐Associated Mixed Cryoglobulinemia Type III: Successful Treatment with Interferon‐β
Author(s) -
Ito Akiko,
Kazama Takashi,
Ito Kaoru,
Ito Masaaki
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
the journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.9
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1346-8138
pISSN - 0385-2407
DOI - 10.1111/j.1346-8138.2003.tb00394.x
Subject(s) - cryoglobulinemia , medicine , hepatitis c virus , purpura (gastropod) , hepatitis c , immunology , interferon , virology , cryoglobulins , gastroenterology , virus , biology , antibody , ecology
We describe a 54‐year‐old man with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection‐associated cryoglobulinemia type III. The patient had suffered from cold‐induced urticaria that left purpuric eruptions up to 1 cm in diameter, intermittent migratory joint pain for seven years and mild liver dysfunction for nine years. Hemophilia A was diagnosed when the patient was 26 years old, and he was then given infusions of factor VIII for a short time. In both skin biopsy samples from urticarial and purpuric eruptions, mild inflammatory infiltration by polymorphonuclear leukocytes with nuclear dust, extravasation of erythrocytes and deposition of IgM and C3 in the superficial blood vessels were observed. After antiviral treatment with interferon‐β, the clinical symptoms and the cryoglobulin and HCV‐RNA in the serum disappeared. There has been no recurrence in the subsequent nine years.