Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Hepatitis C virus (HCV)
infection is involved in the pathogenesis of autoimmune and rheumatic disorders. Although the
human platelet antigens (HPA) polymorphism are associated with HCV persistence, they have not been investigated in rheumatological manifestations (RM). This study focused on verifying
associations between
allele and
genotype HPA and RM in
patients with
chronic hepatitis C .
METHODS: Patients (159) with
chronic hepatitis C of both genders were analyzed.
RESULTS: Women showed
association between HPA-3 polymorphisms and RM.
CONCLUSIONS: An unprecedented strong
association between rheumatological manifestations and HPA-3 polymorphism, possibly predisposing
women to
complications during the
disease course , was observed.