Autoimmunity and Extrahepatic Manifestations in Treatment-Naïve Children with Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has been associated with autoimmunity and extrahepatic manifestations in adults. Few data are available on these topics in children. Nonorgan specific auto-antibodies development is part of the natural course of chronic hepatitis C in children. Smooth muscle autoant...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical & developmental immunology 2012-01, Vol.2012 (2012), p.1-4
Main Authors: Indolfi, Giuseppe, Bartolini, Elisa, Olivito, Biagio, Azzari, Chiara, Resti, Massimo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ataxia
Autoantibodies
Autoantibodies - immunology
Autoantibodies - metabolism
Autoimmunity
Child
Children
Children & youth
Chronic infection
Data processing
Disease
Glomerulonephritis
Hepacivirus - immunology
Hepatitis
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C virus
Hepatitis C, Chronic - complications
Hepatitis C, Chronic - immunology
Humans
Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism - etiology
Immune system
Immunology
Infections
Microsomes, Liver - immunology
Monitoring, Physiologic
Myocytes, Smooth Muscle - immunology
Myopathy
Opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome
Pediatrics
Review
Smooth muscle
Studies
Thyroiditis
Viral infections
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Summary:Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has been associated with autoimmunity and extrahepatic manifestations in adults. Few data are available on these topics in children. Nonorgan specific auto-antibodies development is part of the natural course of chronic hepatitis C in children. Smooth muscle autoantibody is the most common autoantibody found, while liver-kidney microsomal type-1 antibody positivity is the most peculiar autoimmune feature of children with HCV infection. The clinical significance of non-organ specific autoantibodies in the course of paediatric chronic hepatitis C is still debated. Autoantibody positivity can be considered neutral for most patients, while it can be associated with negative connotations for others, especially those positive for liver-kidney microsomal type-1 autoantibody. Subclinical hypothyroidism but not autoimmune thyroiditis has been demonstrated in HCV infection in children, while only few cases of HCV-associated membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis have been described. Single reports are available in the literature reporting the anecdotal association between chronic hepatitis C and other extrahepatic manifestations such as myopathy and opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome. Despite the low incidence of extrahepatic manifestations of chronic hepatitis C in children, overall, available data suggest a careful monitoring.
ISSN:1740-2522
2314-8861
1740-2530
2314-7156
DOI:10.1155/2012/785627