Purpura with ulcerative skin lesions and mixed cryoglobulinemia in a quiescent hepatitis B virus carrier

Liver Disease-Associated Glomerulopathies

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infect a significant number of individuals globally and their extra-hepatic manifestations, including glomerular disease, are well established. Additionally, liver disease-associated IgA nephropathy is the leading cause of secondary IgA nephropathy with disease course varying from asymptomatic urinary abnormalities to progressive kidney injury. Herein we provide an updated review on the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, and treatment of HBV- and HCV-related glomerulonephritis as well as IgA nephropathy in patients with liver disease. The most common HBV-related glomerulonephritis is membranous nephropathy, although membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis and podocytopathies have been described. The best described HCV-related glomerulonephritis is cryoglobulinemic glomerulonephritis occurring in about 30% of patients with mixed cryoglobulinemic vasculitis. The mainstay of treatment for HBV-GN and HCV-GN is antiviral therapy, with significant improvement in outcomes since the emergence of the direct-acting antivirals. However, cases with severe pathology and/or a more aggressive disease trajectory can be offered a course of immunosuppression, commonly anti-CD20 therapy, particularly in the case of cryoglobulinemic glomerulonephritis.

Hepatitis B Virus-Related Cryoglobulinemic Vasculitis: Review of the Literature and Long-Term Follow-Up Analysis of 18 Patients Treated with Nucleos(t)ide Analogues from the Italian Study Group of Cryoglobulinemia (GISC)

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) chronic infection causes progressive liver damage, although about 20% of patients develop extrahepatic manifestations such as cryoglobulinemic vasculitis (CV). Clinical manifestations range from mild to moderate (purpura, asthenia, arthralgia) to severe (leg ulcers, peripheral neuropathy, glomerulonephritis, non-Hodgkin lymphoma). A comprehensive review of therapeutic options for HBV-related CV is lacking. Nucleos(t)ide analogues (NA) suppress HBV replication in 90–100% of cases and induce clinical response in most patients with mild-to-moderate CV. Plasma exchange can be performed in patients with severe CV and should be considered in severe or life-threatening cases combined with high doses of corticosteroids and antiviral treatment. A cautious use of rituximab can be considered only in association with NA treatment in refractory cases. A review of the literature and an analysis of data collected by six centers of the Italian Group for the Study of Cryoglobulinemia on 18 HBV-CV nucleotide/nucleoside analogues (NAs)-treated patients were carried out.

Hepatitis B-related glomerulonephritis and optimization of treatment

Introduction: Multiple studies have revealed a strong relationship between the development of nephropathy and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The underlying pathogenesis of hepatitis B-related glomerulonephritis (HBV-GN) involves immune complexes, which can be isolated from kidney tissues. Clearance of HBV antigenemia improves renal impairment and proteinuria in HBV-GN patients.Areas covered: In this review, we present our current understanding of the epidemiology, pathogenesis, pathology, diagnosis, and treatment of HBV-GN. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of oral nucleoside/nucleotide analogs (NAs), and the main pharmaceutical treatment for hepatis B.Expert opinion: Currently, antiviral agents are the main HBV-GN therapeutic agents. Although no randomized controlled clinical trials have compared the efficacy of interferon (IFN) and NA, we suggest IFN treatment for pediatric patients (IFN-α in patients ≥1 year; pegIFN-α in patients ≥3 years) considering treatment duration and absence of resistance. Novel NAs have brought about promising treatment options involving high efficacy viral suppression and low resistance rates. NAs with a high barrier to resistance (e.g. entecavir) are recommended as first-line therapy of HBV-GN. Immunosuppression monotherapy, such as corticosteroids, is of little benefit and potentially harmful to HBV-GN patients due to the possibility of viral reactivation.

Clinical and morphologic spectrum of renal involvement in patients with HBV-associated cryoglobulinaemia

AIM

Cryoglobulinaemic glomerulonephritis related to hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has been rarely reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical features, renal biopsy findings in patients with HBV-associated cryoglobulinaemia.

METHODS

Twelve patients with HBV-associated cryoglobulinaemia were identified in this study. The demographic, clinical, pathological characteristics, treatment and follow-up data were analyzed.

RESULTS

Renal involvement was characterized by nephrotic range proteinuria with microscopic haematuria in all patients, and impaired renal function in nine patients (75%). Purpuric rash was the main extrarenal manifestation (58.3%). Type II cryoglobulinaemia was presented in three patients and type III in nine patients. Hypocomplementaemia and positive of rheumatoid factors were present in all patients. Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) was observed in all kidney specimens. Seven patients also had evidence of prominent cryoglobulins thrombi on renal biopsy, but only three patients had HBV antigen deposits in renal tissues. Antiviral and steroids or immunosuppressive agents have been used in most of patients. During follow-up, two patients died, and four reaching end-stage renal disease; three patients had complete remission, and three patients had renal function improved after therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Nephrotic syndrome with haematuria and renal insufficiency are the main clinical manifestation; cryoglobulinaemic glomerulonephritis are the main renal lesion in patients with HBV-Associated cryoglobulinaemia; half of patients have poor outcome even with antiviral and immunosuppressive therapy. The results of this study indicate that cryoglobulins should be detected in hepatitis B virus-Associated nephropathy in endemic area.

Clinical disorders responsible for plasma hyperviscosity and skin complications

In this brief review, we have examined some clinical disorders which are associated to an altered hemorheological profile and at times accompanied by skin ulcers. This skin condition may be, in fact, observed in patients with primary plasma hyperviscosity such as multiple myeloma, Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia, cryoglobulinemia, cryofibrinogenemia, dysfibrinogenemia and connective tissue diseases. It must be underlined that the altered hemorheological pattern is not the only responsible for this skin complication but, as it worsens the microcirculatory flow, it contributes to determine the occurrence of the skin ulcers.

Spontaneous and antiviral-induced cutaneous lesions in chronic hepatitis B virus infection

AIM

To describe spontaneous, or interferon (IFN)- or immunization-induced skin lesions in hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.

METHODS

A comprehensive literature search of all the papers presenting case reports of dermatological lesions in patients with chronic HBV infection was carried out. We included only patients with histologically proven skin lesions that appeared in the normal course of hepatitis B infection, or after immunization for hepatitis B or antiviral treatment.

RESULTS

We found 44 papers on this topic, reporting 151 cases. About 2% of patients with hepatitis B infection, mainly men, presented with skin lesions. Among patients with chronic hepatitis B, vasculitis and essential mixed cryoglobulinemia seemed to be the most frequent skin lesion (53.3%), followed by papular changes, rashes and Gianotti-Crosti syndrome, skin carcinoma and Henoch-Schönlein purpura were rare. IFN treatment seemed to be effective against HBV-associated and immunoglobulin-complex-mediated disease (vasculitis). Two cutaneous lesions (lichen planus and granuloma annulare) were described after hepatitis B vaccination. Systemic lupus and lupus-like lesions were the most frequently encountered lesions after antiviral treatment. Immunosuppressive and steroid therapy ameliorates lichen planus lesions in 50% of cases.

CONCLUSION

Vasculitis was the most frequent spontaneous skin lesion found in chronic hepatitis B. Lichen planus was most frequent after immunization and lupus/lupus-like lesions after IFN.

Henoch-Schönlein purpura complicated with severe gastrointestinal bleeding

Bleeding from the gastrointestinal tract is one of the common determinants of morbidity and mortality in the ordinary clinical setting. The gastrointestinal involvement of Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) has often been described as self-limiting, with no long-term morbidity. In this report, we describe our experience with a male HSP patient who presented with abdominal pain, loss of appetite and deteriorated renal function associated with nephrotic syndrome. Despite the use of aggressive immunomodulatory treatments, including corticosteroids and plasmapheresis, he developed lethal gastrointestinal hemorrhage. We believe that the accumulation of more experience with additional cases similar to ours is mandatory for the establishment of optimal management for HSP patients with severe gastrointestinal manifestations.