Source: Annual Congress 2002 - Interstitial lung disorders: markers of disease activity and severity
Disease area: Interstitial lung diseases

Abstract

Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection is often associated with extrahepatic and systemic disorders. Pulmonary involvement has been hypothesized by various Authors.
We describe clinical, radiological and functional manifestations of lung disease and the changes in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) from 15 patients with HCV infection and respiratory symptoms.
Methods: In a group of 53 patients investigated for interstitial lung diseases (ILD) we detected 15 subjects (10 males, 5 females), with HCV positive antibodies, 10 of them with also HCV-RNA in serum. Radiological, immunological and lung function investigations were also performed. Bronchoalveolar lavage was carried out in all subjects.
Results: Radiological investigations showed reticular fibrosis in 4 cases, peripheral areas of alveolar consolidation in 3, ground glass attenuation and hylar lymphoadenopathy in 2, while 6 patients did not show radiological sign of ILD. The BAL showed lymphocytic alveolitis in 5 cases, macrophagic alveolitis in 4 case and neutro/eosinophilic alveolitis in 6 cases. BALF cultures were negative in all patients but, interstingly, HCV RNA were found in the BAL of 2 patients with pulmonary fibrosis, using a RT-PCR assay.
Conclusions: The changes found in our series agree with those described by other authors and raise the possibility that Hepatitis C Virus can trigger immune-mediated reactions also in the lung.

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Citations should be made in the following way:
G. Brunetti, M. Delmastro, B. Balbi, S. Nava, P. Pignatti, A. Bossi, I. Jedrychowska, M. Fiori (Pavia, Italy). Detection of HCV-RNA in the bronchoalveolar lavage of patients with pulmonary fibrosis. Eur Respir J 2002; 20: Suppl. 38, 1121

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