HCV Causes More Than Just Liver Disease

From Hepatitis Alert, Vol. II No. 2 Summer 1996 (Published by the Hepatitis Foundation Intl.)

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an infectious agent which can cause more than liver disease. An article by Stuart C. Gordon, MD of William Beaumont Hospital, Michigan discusses these additional syndromes caused by HCV. The hepatitis C virus appears to act as a cause of immunity or of immune complex formation. The diseases clearly related are: mixed essential cryoglobulinemia, membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, porphyria cutanea tarda, and thyroiditis. Diseases which are possibly related are: lichen planus, Mooren's corneal ulcers, Sjogren's syndrome, and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. Many of the diseases respond to treatment with alpha interferon. He also discusses a number of diseases in which there is an unproven relationship in an article in Digestive Diseases (1996;14:157-168).

Note: Clicking on the Blue words will take you to the information you're interested in reading.

Advertisement

Hepatitis C Primer Home

What is Hepatitis How is Hepatitis Transmitted

Long-term Prognosis

Complications of HCV Liver Biopsy Treatment Info (Interferon, Herbal, etc) Lab Tests (PCR, Genotype,etc.) Nutrition & Alternative Info

Patient Information (Support Groups, Doctor Listing, etc) Related Webpages Transplant Info Site Search HCV Webrings Guestbook FAQ & Disclaimers

Investigational Drug Beats Standard Therapy in Hepatitis C Study
A Phase IIa trial investigating triple combination therapy with PEGASYS, COPEGUS and Roche's investigational drug R1626, demonstrated a higher response rate than traditional combination therapy alone. While R1626's effectiveness and high barrier to resistance makes it a top Hepatitis C...

Hepatitis C Complications Helped by Maintenance Interferon
A four-year study confirms that low-dosage maintenance interferon therapy prevents disease progression in those with portal hypertension or cirrhosis from Hepatitis C....

Improves Outcome for Hep C Genotype 4
Currently approved for treating contagious diarrhea in children, nitazoxanide has been found to make pegylated interferon-based treatment for Hepatitis C genotype 4 more effective. Prompting new trials in the U.S. and Europe, this drug is now being evaluated for Hepatitis...

More Hep C articles ...