Lymphocyte subsets in hemophilic patients with hepatitis C virus infection with or without human immunodeficiency virus co-infection: a nested cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: With chronic infection, hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA can be detected in B cells and associated with B-cell disorders, but these are not well defined. METHODS: The relationship between HCV infection and lymphocyte subpopulations was evaluated rigorously in 120 asymptomatic hemophilic patients, randomly selected from a prospective cohort study. CD4(+ )T cells, CD8(+ )T cells, CD19(+ )B cells, and CD56(+ )NK cells were quantified by flow cytometry using cryopreserved peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 24 hemophilic patients in each of five age-matched groups [uninfected; chronic HCV with or without human immunodeficiency virus (HIV); and cleared HCV with or without HIV]. RESULTS: As expected, patients with HIV had significantly reduced CD4(+ )and increased CD8(+ )T cells. Irrespective of HIV, patients with chronic HCV infection had approximately 25% fewer CD19(+ )B cells than those without chronic HCV infection. CONCLUSIONS: These data support the hypothesis that asymptomatic patients with chronic HCV infection have an altered B-lymphocyte population.