La Hepatitis C constituye un problema de salud pública y su transmisión está claramente asociada con la ruta parenteral. Sin embargo su agente causal, Virus de Hepatitis C (VHC), también ha sido aislado de otros fluidos incluyendo la saliva, aunque la relación existente entre VHC y la patología bucal no está completamente dilucidada. El objetivo del presente estudio fue determinar la presencia de ARN-VHC en la saliva de pacientes con Hepatitis C crónica. En la presente investigación se evaluaron 24 pacientes provenientes del Departamento de Hepatología del Hospital Clínico Universitario, Universidad Central de Venezuela, con infección por VHC. 5 ml de saliva no estimulada fue tomada de cada paciente. ARN-VHC fue detectada por la técnica de Transcriptasa Reversa- Reacción en cadena de la Polimerasa (TR-RCP). En 29%, (7/24) pacientes VHC+, se observó la presencia de ARN-VHC en saliva. En este estudio, observamos la presencia de ARN-VHC en la saliva de pacientes con infección crónica por VHC. Es necesario realizar estudios epidemiológicos a gran escala, para clarificar el significado biológico de la presencia de este agente viral en la saliva, incluyendo la potencial vía de transmisión por la exposición con este fluido.

Hepatitis C is a worldwide public health problem and its transmisión is clearly associated with the parenteral route, however, the virus has also been isolated from other body fluids, including saliva, although the relationship between HCV and oral pathology is not clearly understood. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of HCV-RNA in saliva from patients with chronic C hepatitis. In the present investigation 24 patients, attended at the Hepatology Department, at the the Clinical Hospital University, Central University of Venezuela, with HCV infection were evaluated . 5ml of unstimulated saliva were taken of each patient. Saliva HCV-RNA was detected by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). 29% (7/24) of HCV+ patients showed HCV-RNA in saliva. In this study, we observed the presence of HCV-RNA in saliva of patients infected with HCV. Further large-scale epidemiological studies are required to clarify the clinical significance of HCV in the saliva, including the potencial for viral transmisión through exposure to these fluids.

El liquen plano es una enfermedad mucocutánea inflamatoria crónica que frecuentemente involucra la mucosa bucal. Recientes estudios han confirmado una asociación significativa entre el liquen plano bucal (LPB) y enfermedad hepática, en particular con la infección por Virus de la Hepatitis C (VHC). El objetivo del presente estudio fue evaluar la asociación del LPB en pacientes con infección por VHC. Se evaluaron 67 pacientes infectados por VHC detectados por anticuerpos anti-VHC mediante ensayo inmunoabsorbente ELISA (tercera generación), confirmado por trancriptasa reversa- reacción en cadena de la polimerasa (TR-RCP) VHC-ARN. Solo uno de los 67 pacientes positivos para VHC fue clínica e histológicamente positivo para LPB. En este trabajo concluimos que aunque se han reportado casos donde existe una asociación entre liquen plano bucal e infección por VHC, la asociación entre estas dos enfermedades no se observó en la población venezolana, debido posiblemente a que el origen geográfico y hábitos de los pacientes podría jugar un rol importante en la prevalencia de la infección por este virus y sus manifestaciones extrahepáticas, en pacientes con LPB.

Lichen planus is a chronic inflammatory mucocutaneous disease that frequently involves the oral mucosa. Recent studies have confirmed a significant association between oral lichen planus (OLP) and liver diseases, in particular with Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of OLP in patients with HCV infection. We evaluated 67 patients with HCV infection detected for anti-HCV by immunosorbent assay ELISA (third generation) confirmed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) HCV-RNA Only one of 67 HCV positive patients was clinically and histologically positive for OLP. We concluded that although cases of oral lichen planus associated with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection have been described, the association between the two diseases has not been established in the Venezuelan population, because the geographic origin of patients could play an important role in HCV prevalence in patients with OLP.

In endemic areas with low prevalence and low intensity of infection, the diagnosis of hepatic pathology due to the Schistosoma mansoni infection is very difficult. In order to establish the hepatic morbidity, a double-blind study was achieved in Venezuelan endemic areas, with one group of patients with schistosomiasis and the other one of non-infected people, that were evaluated clinically and by abdominal ultrasound using the Cairo classification. Schistosomiasis diagnosis was established based on parasitologic and serological tests. The increase of the hepatic size at midclavicular and midsternal lines (in hepatometry) and the hard liver consistency were the clinical parameters able to differentiate infected persons from non infected ones, as well as the presence of left lobe hepatomegaly detected by abdominal ultrasound. The periportal thickening, especially the mild form, was frequent in all age groups in both infected and uninfected patients. There was not correlation between the intensity of infection and ultrasound under the current circumstances. Our data suggest that in Venezuela, a low endemic area of transmission of schistosomiasis, the hepatic morbidity is mild and uncommon. The Cairo classification seems to overestimate the prevalence of periportal pathology. The specificity of the method must be improved, especially for the recognition of precocious pathology. Other causes of hepatopathies must be investigated.