Abstract: Chronic hepatitis C has been implicated in the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis in several cases of patients treated with interferon-alpha. On the other hand, only in a few cases previously has a possible link between sarcoidosis and untreated chronic hepatitis C virus infection been demonstrated. We report on a patient with chronic hepatitis C who developed cutaneous sarcoidosis without prior interferon-alpha treatment. We hypothesize that viral persistence seen in chronic hepatitis C virus infection might be one of the potential factors that trigger cellular immune response in granulomatous reactions as seen in sarcoidosis, in genetically predisposed patients.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: A high Helicobacter pylori seroprevalence has been found in many extragastrointestinal disorders. Moreover, it has been reported that the risk of chronic bronchitis may be increased in H. pylori-infected patients. The aim of this study was to assess the H. pylori seroprevalence in patients with chronic bronchitis. METHODS: We evaluated 144 patients with chronic bronchitis (81 men and 63 women, aged 53.2+/-12.7 years) and 120 age and sex-matched control subjects. All enrolled subjects (bronchitic patients and controls) underwent an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) IgG serologic test for H. pylori diagnosis. RESULTS: A correlation between age and H. pylori IgG level was detected for both bronchitic patients (r = 0.42; P = 0.004) and controls (r = 0.44; P = 0.004). H. pylori seropositivity in the chronic bronchitis group was significantly higher than that in controls (83.3% vs 60%; P = 0.007). The mean serum concentration of IgG antibodies against H. pylori was also significantly higher in patients with chronic bronchitis than in the control subjects (38.7+/-24.1 U/ml vs 25.9+/-19.3 U/ml; P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Helicobacter pylori infection may be associated with chronic bronchitis. Further studies should be undertaken to confirm our results and to clarify the potential underlying pathogenetic mechanisms.
