How hepatitis C virus modifies the immunological profile of Sj?gren syndrome: analysis of 783 patients

We conducted a study to analyze how infection by hepatitis C virus (HCV) may influence the immunological serum pattern of patients with Sj?gren syndrome (SS). Since 1994, we have tested serum HCV-IgG antibodies in 783 patients with SS diagnosed according to the 1993 European classification criteria. The immunological profile at diagnosis was compared according to the presence or absence of HCV. Of the 783 patients with SS, 105 (13.4 %) tested positive for HCV-IgG antibodies (88 females, 17 males, mean age at SS diagnosis: 62.9 years). Multivariate analysis showed that patients with SS-HCV had... Mehr ...