Cryoglobulinaemia
Brouet types I to III, hepatitis C and B-cell clones as causes, purpura, arthralgia, neuropathy and MPGN, collecting the sample at 37 °C, the very low C4 and positive rheumatoid factor, and treatment by cause and severity (antivirals, rituximab, plasma exchange).
Tier 1Condition
Written with AI assistance and fact-checked against the sources below. For exam study, not clinical decisions. How notes are made
At a glance
- Cryoglobulins are immunoglobulins that precipitate below 37 °C and dissolve on rewarming. Many people with low levels have no symptoms; cryoglobulinaemic vasculitis is the disease.
- Type I (monoclonal) causes vessel occlusion and hyperviscosity. Mixed types II and III cause immune complex small-vessel vasculitis.
- Hepatitis C is the classic cause of mixed cryoglobulinaemia. Direct-acting antivirals have changed the disease, but B-cell clones can persist after cure.
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Sources
- KDIGO 2022 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Prevention, Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Treatment of Hepatitis C in Chronic Kidney Disease. Kidney Int 2022;102(6S):S129-S205Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO), 2022
- KDIGO 2021 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Glomerular Diseases. Kidney Int 2021;100(4S):S1-S276Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO), 2021
- Australian recommendations for the management of hepatitis C virus infection: a consensus statement (2022)AU/NZGastroenterological Society of Australia (GESA) and ASHM, 2022
- Therapeutic Guidelines: Gastrointestinal (hepatitis C)AU/NZTherapeutic Guidelines Limited
- Ramos-Casals M, Stone JH, Cid MC, Bosch X. The cryoglobulinaemias. Lancet 2012;379:348-360The Lancet, 2012
- Last updated
- 14 November 2026
What changed
- 14 November 2026 Personal emails, About story and Australian-style copy