Immunohistochemical detection of HCV in nerves and muscles of patients with HCV associated peripheral neuropathy and myositis.

Background: Chronic hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection may be associated with numerous extrahepatic manifestations, such as mixed cryoglobulinaemia, membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, sicca syndrome. Cryoglobulinaemia (CG) is a condition characterized by the presence of serum proteins that reversibly precipitate in the cold. The objective of the present work was to study the histopathological changes in neuromuscular biopsies in patients with HCV associated peripheral neuropathy, or myopathy; with and without cryoglobulinemia, and to assess the presence of HCV in nerve and muscle tissues of those patients which might clarify some pathogenetic mechanisms for neuropathy, and myopathy associated with HCV.