Essential mixed cryoglobulinaemia and hepatitis B virus
Garcia-Bragado, F.; Vilardell, M.; Fonollosa, V.; Ruibal, A.; Gallart, T.; Cuxart, A.
La Nouvelle Presse Medicale 10(36): 2955-2957
1981
ISSN/ISBN: 0301-1518 PMID: 7290950 Document Number: 169193
Essential mixed cryoglobulinaemia is a nosological entity described by Meltzer and Franklin in 1966 and characterized by asthenia, arthralgias, purpura, glomerulonephritis and mixed IgM-IgG cryoglobulinaemia. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) markers were studied in the sera and cryoprecipitates of 6 patients with the syndrome. Five (83,3%) had at least one HBV marker and three (50%) had HBsAg either in the serum or in the cryoprecipitate. HBV therefore seems to be involved in the pathogenesis of essential mixed cryoglobulinaemia in a large number of cases.