Necrolytic acral erythema in Egyptian patients with HCV

Three thousand adult and pediatric cases with confirmed hepatitis C virus [HCV] infection [ELISA and PCR] were screened for necrolytic acral erythema [NAE] during a period of three years. Five cases had the typical clinical and histopathological characteristics of NAE. During the same period of screening, 18 cases of NAE were unaware of their HCV infection. Most of NAE patients were adults [91.3%] and the chronic form of the lesions was more predominant with affection of the dorsa of toes and/or feet in all cases. Electron microscopic examinations failed to detect HCV particles and PCR failed to detect HCV RNA in the skin lesions