Digital Vasospasm and Infarction Associated With Hepatitis B Antigenemia
- Thomas M. Cosgriff, MD;
- William J. Arnold, MD
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
Excerpt
THE EXTRAHEPATIC manifestations of hepatitis B, many the result of immune complex disease, have been appreciated only in recent years. These manifestations can be grouped into two syndromes: (1) a transient, serum sickness-like illness, consisting primarily of polyarthritis and an urticarial or exanthematous skin rash,1,2 and (2) periarteritis nodosa, with fever, skin rash, renal failure, hypertension, and central nervous system disease, which is associated with a persistent hepatitis B antigenemia and frequently proves fatal.3-6 In addition, two cases of glomerulonephritis secondary to hepatitis B antigenemia with glomerular immune complex deposition have been reported.7,8 We report a patient with hepatitis B antigenemia who had a serum sickness-like syndrome associated with digital vasospasm, striking cyanosis, and subsequent infarction of her fingertips one month before manifesting icteric hepatitis.
Report of a Case A 27-year-old woman was well until eight days prior to admission, when she complained of slight fever and
Footnotes
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Reprint requests to Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at the Medical Center, PO Box 6998, Chicago, IL 60680 (Dr Arnold).
