NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Cryoglobulinemic vasculitis associated with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection resolves after effective treatment with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), with most patients remaining in remission for two or more years, researchers from Spain report.
“Most clinical manifestations of the disease improve over time, but some patients may have a clinical recurrence of their disease (cryoglobulinemic vasculitis) after obtaining a sustained virological response,” Dr. Xavier Forns from Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, University of Barcelona, told Reuters Health by email. “This recurrence is an unexpected result, which must be taken into account by clinicians.”
Several studies have shown that patients with HCV-associated cryoglobulinemic vasculitis have high rates of clinical remission 12 to 24 weeks after DAA therapy. But circulating cryoglobulins persist in up to 50% of patients during short-term follow-up, Dr. Forns’ team notes in Gastroenterology, online April 26.
They assessed the long-term outcomes of 88 HCV-infected patients with circulating cryoglobulins, 46 of whom satisfied criteria for HCV-associated cryoglobulinemic vasculitis (HCV-CV) and 42 of whom were asymptomatic (ACC). All patients achieved sustained virological remission 12 weeks after DAA treatment (SVR12).
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