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Extrahepatic manifestations in Chinese HCV patients included fatigue, diabetes

Extrahepatic manifestations were common among Chinese patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection, according to data from a recent study.

Researchers reviewed medical records of 297 patients (mean age, 55 years; 50.8% men) in Beijing with hepatitis C virus (HCV) to determine the presence of clinical manifestations including: fever, fatigue, arthralgia, Raynaud’s phenomenon, palpable purpura, renal impairment, sicca syndrome involving mouth and eyes, thyroid dysfunction, type 2 diabetes mellitus, pulmonary fibrosis, lichen planus, paresthesia, lymphoma and cancers. The mean HCV duration was 14.16 years, and approximately 26% of the cohort had HCV for more than 20 years.

According to results, 62% of patients had at least one extrahepatic manifestation (EM), including fatigue (29.4%), diabetes mellitus (28.2%), renal involvement (12.5%), lymphadenopathy (9.6%), fever (9.4%), thyroid dysfunction (8.1%) and arthralgia (7.4%).

The mean age of patients with EMs (54.9 years vs. 50.2 years; P=.009) was higher than those without EM.

“This study showed that EMs were common in Chinese patients with chronic HCV infection,” the researchers said. “Despite the high prevalence of EMs, only 36% of patients who were anti-HCV positive were seen by a specialist and few were tested for cryoglobulin.

“Therefore, the recognition of EMs [in patients] with chronic HCV infection might deserve more attention in general hospitals in China. Physicians should be aware of the extrahepatic signs and symptoms with chronic HCV infection.”

Disclosure: Relevant financial disclosures were not provided by researchers.