Assessment of the Antiplatelet Antibodies in Thrombocytopenic Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Chronically Infected Patients
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- Category: Vol. 82, March 2014
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Assessment of the Antiplatelet Antibodies in Thrombocytopenic Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Chronically Infected Patients, EMAN H.B. HASSNIN, ALAA EL-DIN S. ABD EL-HAMID and AMAL F. ABD EL-HAI
Abstract
Objective: To investigate the immunological role of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in the development of immune thrombocytopenia as an extrahepatic manifestation (EHM) in patients with chronic HCV infection in correlation with the viral load.
Material and Methods: The target population was forty (40) HCV positive patients attending Suez Canal University teaching hospital outpatient clinic. These patients were divided into two subgroups; twenty (20) HCV-positive patients with thrombocytopenia compared to twenty (20) HCV-positive patients with normal platelet count. They were investigated using the following; Modified Antigen Capture ELISA (MACE 1) for the detection of antiplatelet antibodies (IgG) against platelet specific glycoproteins IIb/IIIa, real time PCR for measurement of viral load, also AST, ALT, Bilirubin, Albumin, GGT were measured to assess the severity of liver damage and finally ANA, RF for the detection of whether it is a systemic immunological disorder or it is only associated with HCV infection.
Results: Antiplatelet antibodies were detected in 60% of HCV-positive patients with thrombocytopenia compared to 10% of HCV-positive patients with normal platelet count with significant correlation with the platelet count (p<0.03) and the viral load (p<0. 00 1).
Conclusion: HCV infection has an important immunolog-ical role in the development of thrombocytopenia in patients with chronic HCV infection. Future studies on larger population are warranted.