Cryoglobulinemia is a disease when blood levels of immunoglobulins called cryoglobulins increases to over 100 mg/L.
It may lead to several complications such as: skin necrosis, liver, heart and kidney failure, death.
Symptoms are defined by type of cryoglobulinemia. Most common symptoms are:
Cryoglobulinemia is known as a systemic disease characterized by presence in blood of immune complexes called cryoglobulins. To understand Cryoglobulinemia you need to know what is cryoglobulin. It is abnormal protein (immunoglobulin) which precipitate and is irresolvable at low body’s temperature. When temperature decreases it’s again dissolvable. Blood levels of cryoglobulin in healthy person may reach 30 mg/L. It is involved in vascular damage, renal and neurological complications. Disease accompanies mostly chronic inflammation, autoimmune diseases and infectious.
There is certainly a correlation between hepatitis C infection and type II cryoglobulinemia. Symptoms of Cryoglobulinemia occur when concentration of cryoglobulin is above 100 mg/L. The clinical symptoms characteristic for Cryoglobulinemia are blotchy rash, joint pain and persistent fatigue.
Cryoglobulinemia is classified in three types based on the composition of cryoglobulin present in serum: