Evaluation of serum angiopoietin-II in HCV related glomerulonephrities

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a global health problem. More than 170 million people world wide are chronically infected with HCV, which is responsible for over 1 million deaths resulting from, cirrhosis and liver cancers. The prevalence of HCV infection varies in different parts of the world, an estimated 4 million Americans have been exposed to HCV representing approximately 2% of the US population. Egypt has the highest sero prevalence of HCV reaching up to 20% in some areas. About 60–85% of patients infected with HCV develop chronic hepatitis C, i.e. infection lasting more than 6 months. Although the primary burden of disease that is associated with chronic hepatitis C is liver related, other organ systems may be involved. In the kidney, HCV seems to be strongly associated with membrano-proliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) usually in the context of cryoglobulinemia, but MPGN can develop without cryoglobulins in addition to other types of glomerulonephritis including membranous GN and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. The pathogenesis of hepatitis C-associated renal disease remains incompletely defined, but most evidence suggests that it is caused by circulating complexes of antibodies and HCV particles directly causing damage to the kidneys as they are deposited in the glomerulus and tubules of the kidneys.