Hepatiti C and Ocular urface Dieae Original Reearch Article

Purpoe To ae the frequency of change in the ocular urface and the preence of hepatiti C viru (HCV) in tear ample of patient with chronic HCV infection. Deign Propective, nonrandomized, clinical, interdiciplinary, ingle-center tudy. Method eventy-one patient with previouly untreated chronic HCV infection and a control group coniting of 66 patient without ytemic HCV infection were enrolled in the trial. The patient with HCV infection were creened for ocular ymptom, viual acuity, and ocular change. Tear production wa meaured by the Jone tet. Conjunctival impreion cytologic analyi wa performed. The preence of HCV ribonucleic acid (RNA) in tear and blood ample wa determined by quantitative polymerae chain reaction. Reult On examination, ytemic HCV infection wa preent for a median of 30 month. Fifty percent of all HCV patient howed a decreae in tear production meaured by the Jone tet. Apart from epithelial change related to dry eye yndrome in 12 patient, two patient preented mild peripheral corneal thinning. Polymerae chain reaction analyi detected HCV RNA in five (10%) of 52 tear ample. HCV RNA level in tear ample (mean, 1.0 × 104 copie/ml) were coniderably lower than in blood ample (mean, 5.3 × 105 copie/ml). Concluion Dry eye yndrome i the mot frequently oberved ocular feature in HCV infection. Patient with HCV infection (age range, 21 to 60 year) compared with the control had a ignificant lower tear production (P = .05). The preence of HCV RNA in 10% of tear ample emphaize the potential rik of viral tranmiion through tear.