Brzdęk Michał, Gałuszka-Garnuszek Joanna, Dobrowolska Krystyna, Brzdęk Kinga, Janczura Jakub, Tronina Olga, Kal Magdalena, Stępień Piotr, Zarębska-Michaluk Dorota
Collegium Medicum, Jan Kochanowski University, Kielce, Poland.
Department of Gastroenterology, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland.
BMC Oral Health. 2025 Jun 9;25(1):944. doi: 10.1186/s12903-025-06307-5.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, a systemic disease characterized by extrahepatic manifestations (EMs), affects approximately 50 million people worldwide. Recognizing EMs, which may involve multiple organs and systems, is crucial for timely diagnosis and effective antiviral therapy. Purpose of the study was to investigate extrahepatic symptoms occurring in the oral mucosa in HCV-infected patients.
The observational study included 153 consecutive patients with chronic hepatitis C and healthy controls. Data collection encompassed demographic parameters, medical history, laboratory results, and oral examinations, which included evaluation of dry mouth, pain and burning in the mouth and on the tongue, pain in the angles of the mouth, bad breath, gingival bleeding, dysphagia and taste disorders using scales designed for this purpose, clinical and dental examination.
Subjective oral symptoms were twice as common in the study group as in controls with the most frequent dry mouth, followed by oral pain, and burning in the mouth. Pathological changes (oral candidiasis, angular cheilitis and lichen planus), were identified in 73.2% of patients, compared to 32% in the control group. Oral hygiene was worse in the study group with a median score of 1.8 compared to 1.1 as assessed by the Oral Hygiene Index scale. The incidence of Mikulicz's aphthae, papillomas, fibromas and sublingual varices did not reach statistically significant differences. The study group had fewer teeth with dental fillings. Additionally, age ≥ 40 years and GT1 infection were identified as independent predictors of oral pathologies in HCV-infected patients.
In patients with chronic HCV infection, oral mucosal pathologies were significantly more common compared to controls, with candidiasis, angular cheilitis, and oral lichen planus being the most frequently observed conditions. Subjective symptoms such as dry mouth, oral pain, and burning were also markedly higher in the HCV group. Age ≥ 40 years and GT1b HCV genotype were identified as independent positive predictors of oral mucosal lesions.
丙型肝炎病毒（HCV）感染是一种以肝外表现（EMs）为特征的全身性疾病，全球约有5000万人受其影响。认识到可能累及多个器官和系统的肝外表现对于及时诊断和有效的抗病毒治疗至关重要。本研究的目的是调查HCV感染患者口腔黏膜出现的肝外症状。
这项观察性研究纳入了153例连续的慢性丙型肝炎患者和健康对照者。数据收集包括人口统计学参数、病史、实验室检查结果和口腔检查，其中口腔检查使用专门为此设计的量表评估口干、口腔和舌部的疼痛与烧灼感、口角疼痛、口臭、牙龈出血、吞咽困难和味觉障碍，并进行临床和牙科检查。
研究组主观口腔症状的发生率是对照组的两倍，最常见的是口干，其次是口腔疼痛和口腔烧灼感。73.2%的患者出现了病理变化（口腔念珠菌病、口角炎和扁平苔藓），而对照组为32%。根据口腔卫生指数量表评估，研究组的口腔卫生状况较差，中位数为1.8，而对照组为1.1。米库利奇口疮、乳头状瘤、纤维瘤和舌下静脉曲张的发生率未达到统计学显著差异。研究组有补牙的牙齿较少。此外，年龄≥40岁和基因1型感染被确定为HCV感染患者口腔病变的独立预测因素。
与对照组相比，慢性HCV感染患者的口腔黏膜病变明显更常见，念珠菌病、口角炎和口腔扁平苔藓是最常观察到的情况。HCV组的口干、口腔疼痛和烧灼感等主观症状也明显更高。年龄≥40岁和HCV基因1b型被确定为口腔黏膜病变的独立阳性预测因素。
