Introduction: Viral hepatitis C, essentially a liver disease, can be accompanied by clinical and biological extra-hepatic manifestations. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of biological extrahepatic manifestations in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies and the factors associated with them. Methods: This was a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study. It took place between August 2019 and January 2020. Data collection was prospective. All patients with a positive anti-HCV antibody in the gastroenterology departments of CNHU-HKM and CHUD-B/A who had given their consent were included. Extrahepatic biological manifestations, including cryoglobulinemia, were investigated in each patient. Results: A total of 135 patients with chronic hepatitis C were included, 114 at CNHU-HKM and 21 at CHUD-B/A. The sex ratio was 0.73. The most common extrahepatic biological manifestations were cryoglobulinemia (23/90 i.e. 35.6%), thrombocytopenia (10/56 i.e. 17.9%) and renal failure (26/58 i.e. 44.8%). There was a statistically significant association between cryoglobulinaemia and peripheral neuropathy (p < 0.038). There was also a statistically significant association between cryoglobulinaemia and C viral load (p < 0.001), with those with a detectable viral load more likely to have positive cryoglobulinaemia. Similarly, genotype 1 patients had a greater risk of developing cryoglobulinaemia (p < 0.001). There was also a statistically significant association between thrombocytopenia and hepatomegaly (p = 0.048). However, there was no statistically significant association between age, sex, alcohol consumption and cryoglobulinaemia or thrombocytopenia. Conclusion: Biological extra-hepatic manifestations in chronic hepatitis C are frequent. This raises the question of their possible impact on patients’ quality of life, and the value of offering hepatitis C virus screening to patients presenting with such manifestations.
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