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Background Hepatitis C virus is associated with extrahepatic organ involvement including the nervous system especially peripheral nervous system, which is frequently affected due to the presence of hyper cryoglobulinemia (CG). Sensory and axonal neuropathy is the most frequent presentation in association with hyper CG. Peripheral neuropathy (PN) may also be observed in the absence of hyper CG. Aim The aim of this work was to study peripheral neurological complications related to chronic hepatitis C infection and the possible pathogenic mechanisms of these complications. Patients and methods This study was conducted on 60 patients with chronic hepatitis C infection who were subdivided into two subgroups: group I is composed of 30 chronic hepatitis C patients with clinically apparent neurological complications and group II is composed of 30 chronic hepatitis C patients, who were neurologically asymptomatic. The patients were subjected to clinical evaluation, estimation of hepatitis markers, cryoglobulins, and nerve conduction studies. Results Overt peripheral neuropathies occurred in 42 (70%) patients, detected subclinically in 12 (40%) patients. The chronic sensory peripheral neuropathy was the most common type, representing 60% of neuropathic patients. A statistically significant difference was found between groups I (80%) and II (33.3%), regarding the presence of cryoglobulin, being more common in group I. Results of nerve conduction studies have shown that nerves were more affected in group I and in cryoglobulin positive patients especially in the lower limb. Conclusion Peripheral neuropathies represent the most common hepatitis C virus-related peripheral neurological disorders especially when associated with cryoglobulins

Background Testosterone and prolactin hormone abnormalities have been noticed in some epileptic patients and were attributed to either the direct effect of the disease or the effect of antiepileptic drug therapy. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential endocrinal dysfunction in nonmedicated male adolescents with idiopathic generalized epilepsy as well as those on valproate treatment. Patients and methods This study was performed on 40 epileptic patients, 20 newly diagnosed nonmedicated and 20 treated with valproate, who attended the epilepsy clinic in the Department of Neuropsychiatry, Tanta University Hospital. Twenty age-matched male healthy controls were also included. Patients were subjected to full history taking, neurological examination, evaluation of testosterone and prolactin blood levels, and electroencephalography. Results The serum levels of both free and total testosterone were higher in valproate-treated patients compared with nonmedicated patients and healthy controls. The levels were significantly lower in the nonmedicated group compared with the control group. The serum level of prolactin in both patient groups was significantly higher when compared with the healthy control group, with no statistically significant difference between the two patient groups. Conclusion The exact etiology of hormonal abnormalities in men with epilepsy appears to be multifactorial, including the disease and antiepileptic drug effects. Neuroendocrine regulation in men with epilepsy may be important not only for reproductive function but also for optimal management of seizure disorders.