AUTOANTIBODIES IN CHRONIC VIRAL HEPATITIS C

The relationship of autoantibodies associated with hepatitis C virus to a specific clinical picture has not previously been established.in this work we present a retrospective descriptive monocentric study carried out over a period of 14 years (2002-2015) enrolling236 patients with CCH followed at the gastroenterology B department of la Rabta Hospital divided into 151 women and 74 men . Among our patients 20% had at least one autoantibody present. Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) were the most frequent (16% of cases) with a mean level not exceeding 1/80 in 87% of cases. The others were anti-native DNA (N=21 cases) anti-SSA (N=4) including 2 cases of Sjogren's syndrome anti-ATPO antibodies (N=19) corresponding in all cases to hypothyroidism in connection with Hashimoto's thyroiditis TSH receptor antibodies (N=1) in connection with Graves' disease. Cryoglobulinemia was noted in 48% of cases.