Hepatitis C and autoimmunity: a therapeutic challenge

. Böckle BC, Baltaci M, Ratzinger G, Graziadei I, Vogel W, Sepp NT (Innsbruck Medical University, Anichstrasse, Innsbruck, Austria). Hepatitis C and autoimmunity: a therapeutic challenge (Case Report). J Intern Med 2012; 271: 104–106. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection causes not only acute and chronic liver disease, but also extrahepatic symptoms. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of a patient who developed simultaneously subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus and a small CD20+ B‐cell clone because of chronic HCV infection and relapse after standard of care therapy (pegylated interferon plus ribavirin). Treatment with rituximab, a chimeric anti‐CD20 monoclonal antibody, was successful.