Hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus infections in dermatological patients in west Sicily: a seroepidemiological study

Negative evaluation of a pathergy test in hepatitis B surface antigen carriers

The different cutaneous manifestations of hepatitis B virus infection have been described in different studies. We proposed to evaluate the frequency of skin pathergy positivity in hepatitis B surface antigen carriers. The study group consisted of 92 hepatitis B surface antigen carriers and 76 healthy individuals as a control group. The pathergy test was applied intradermally to both forearms of the patients and the control subjects. The results of the pathergy test were evaluated. Papule or pustule formation was noted as positive. Four and one of the 92 hepatitis patients and 76 control subjects, respectively, were positive for the pathergy reaction. Evidently, this pathergy test that shows non-specific skin hyper-reactivity cannot be used as a clinical marker to indicate hepatitis B surface antigen carriers. The test cannot be used to predict the cutaneous manifestations of hepatitis B infection either.

Dermatological manifestations in hepatitis B surface antigen carriers in east region of Turkey

BACKGROUND AND DESIGN

Various cutaneous disorders associated with hepatitis B virus infection have been reported so far. Almost all of them were some peculiar eruptions or some disorders mainly based on immune complex reaction.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to compare the frequency of all dermatological disorders other than genetic ones in hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carrier patients and controls in our geographical area.

METHODS

Examinations were made on 88 hepatitis B carriers and 84 control patients, including entire skin surface, and oral and anogenital mucosa, and all the manifestations that could be seen were noted down.

RESULTS

While the number of HBsAg carrier patients with dermatological disorders was 62 (70.75%), it was only 24 (28.57%) in control patients. This seems statistically important: Yates' corrected chi-square test = 28.5; P = 0.0000001; odds ratio = 6.0 (2.94 < odds ratio < 12.2). The prevalence of oral lichen planus and pitted keratolysis in HBsAg carrier group was significantly higher than that of controls. We found the duration of positivity was not important statistically in the development of the dermatological disorders.

CONCLUSIONS

HBsAg positivity may induce or cause proneness to oral lichen planus and pitted keratolysis with some mechanism that needs to be elucidated.