Essential Mixed Cryoglobulinemia Without Evidence for Hepatitis B Virus Infection

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Prompted by reports associating essential mixed cryoglobulinemia with hepatitis B, hepatitis B markers were tested for in serum and cryoprecipitates and virus particles were searched for by EM in cryoprecipitates from 12 patients with essential mixed cryoglobulinemia and 22 control subjects with mixed cryoglobulinemia secondary to recognized disease processes. None of the patients with essential cryoglobulinemia had detectable serum hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) or antibody (anti-HBs), whereas 5 of the 22 patients with secondary cryoglobulinemia were positive for HBsAg or anti-HBs. In cryoprecipitates from 10 patients with essential cryoglobulinemia, HBsAg could not be detected by radioimmunoassay or virus particles by EM, but 1 cryoprecipitate was anti-HBs-positive; 4 of 12 cryoprecipitates from patients with secondary cryoglobulinemia were positive for HBsAg or anti-HBs. Evidence of liver disease was present in similarly small proportions of both groups. In almost all patients, essential mixed cryoglobulinemia was unrelated to hepatitis B infection.