Hepatitis C virus infection among patients admitted to a rheumatology ward in northern Cyprus.

Aim of the work To detect the frequency of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among patients admitted to a rheumatology ward in northern Cyprus. Patients and methods 154 patients admitted to the rheumatology department of Near East University Hospital. The demographic data, examination findings and the medical cause of admission together with clinical manifestations of their disease was recorded. All patients were screened for HCV antibodies and cryoglobulins. Results The mean age of the patients was 46.6±15.8 years. The diagnosis amongst the 154 patients included rheumatoid arthritis in 24 (15.6%), arthralgia in 15 (9.7%), ankylosing spondylitis in 12 (7.8%), fibromyalgia syndrome in 11 (7.1%), osteoarthritis in 10 (6.5%), palindromic rheumatism in 10 (6.5%), systemic lupus erythematosus in 7 (4.5%), sjogren’s syndrome in 7 (4.5%),psoriatic arthritis in 17 (11.0%), vasculitis in 5 (3.2%), raynaud phenomenon in 5 (3.2%), scleroderma in 4 (2.6%), enteropathic arthritis in 4 (2.6%), familial mediterranean fever in 4 (2.6%), gout diseases in 3 (1.9%), reactive arthritis in 7 (4.5%), behcet’s disease in 1 (0.6%) and retroperitoneal fibrosis in 1 (0.6%) patients. HCV antibodies were negative in all the patients and only 1 male tested positive for cryoglobulins. Almost a quarter of the patients were receiving non-steroidal ant-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and 7.1% received colchicine. Conclusions Although rheumatic diseases are noted at a high rate in north Cyprus, there is no associated HCV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]