Crioglobulinemias / Cryoglobulinemia

ABSTRACT

Cryoglobulinemia is a systemic vasculitis that principally affects small and medium caliber vessels. It is thought that the inmunocomplex deposit made up of cryoglobulins that precipitate at temperatures under 38°C activate vessel wall complement, which in turn causes damage to the same. The cryoglobulins have been found in a wide spectrum of pathologies, though generally transitory and with no clinical importance. Monoclonal cryoglobulinemia is associated with hematologic diseases, while mixed cryoglobulinemias are found in infectious and systemic diseases. The association between the hepatitis C (VHC) virus and mixed cryoglobulinemias (MC) is more and more evident, and estimates show that 90 percent of cases include this infection. Clinical manifestations are varied and are due to the tissular ischemia caused by vessel occlusion, affecting the skin and visceral organs. Chronic VHC infection induces a persistent stimulation of the immune system, generating a constellation of autoimmune and neoplastic diseases.