|
|
|
| Circulating autoantibodies to endogenous erythropoietin are associated with chronic hepatitis C virus infection-related anemia |
| Aristotelis Tsiakalos, Theoharis Voumvas, Alexandros Psarris, Christina K Oikonomou, Dimitrios C Ziogas, Ioannis Ketikoglou, Grigorios Hatzis and Nikolaos V Sipsas |
Author Affiliations: Department of Pathophysiology (Tsiakalos A, Voumvas T, Ziogas DC, Hatzis G and Sipsas NV), and Third Department of Internal Medicine (Psarris A), Laikon General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece; Microbiology Department, Red Cross General Hospital, Athens, Greece (Oikonomou CK); Department of Internal Medicine, Hippocration General Hospital, Athens, Greece (Ketikoglou I)
Corresponding Author: Aristotelis Tsiakalos, MD, Department of Pathophysiology, Laikon General Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, MikrasAsias 75, Athens-11527, Greece (Tel: +30-210-7462513; Fax: +30-210-7462664; Email: atsiakalos@gmail.com) |
|
|
|
Abstract BACKGROUND: Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with autoimmune phenomena and is often complicated by anemia. Circulating autoantibodies to endogenous erythropoietin (anti-EPO) have been detected in patients with chronic viral infections and were correlated to anemia. The present study aimed to determine anti-EPO prevalence in patients with chronic HCV infection and investigate its possible association with anemia.
METHODS: Ninety-three consecutive patients (62 males and 31 females) with chronic HCV infection, who had never received antiviral therapy or recombinant EPO, were enrolled in the study. Circulating anti-EPO were detected in the serum by using an ELISA assay. Quantitative determination of serum EPO levels was done by radioimmunoassay. HCV RNA viral load measurement and genotype sequencing were also performed.
RESULTS: Circulating anti-EPO were detected in 10.8% of HCV-infected patients and the prevalence of anti-EPO was significantly higher in patients with anemia (19.4% vs 5.3%, P=0.040) compared to that in those without anemia. Compared to anti-EPO negative cases, anti-EPO positive patients had higher frequency of anemia (70.0% vs 34.9%, P=0.030), lower EPO concentrations (median 16.35 vs 30.65 mU/mL, P=0.005), and higher HCV RNA viral load (median 891.5×103 vs 367.5×103 IU/mL, P=0.016). In multivariate regression analysis the presence of anti-EPO remained an independent predictor of anemia (adjusted OR: 14.303, 95% CI: 1.417-36.580, P=0.024). EPO response to anemia was less prominent among anti-EPO positive patients (P=0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: Circulating anti-EPO are detected in a significant proportion of treatment-naïve HCV-infected patients and are independently associated with anemia, suggesting a further implication of autoimmunity in the pathophysiology of HCV-related anemia.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2017, Vol. 16 
