Pachydermoperiostosis in a patient with chronic hepatitis B virus infection referred as acromegaly: a case report

Primary hypertrophic osteoarthropathy also known as pachydermoperiostosis is a rare genetic disorder that has often been confused with acromegaly because of similar clinical features. Vascular endothelial growth factors which have been implicated in the clinical features of pachydermoperiostosis, have also been shown to be present in chronic hepatitis and implicated in the malignant transformation of hepatitis B infection to hepatocellular carcinoma. To the best of our knowledge there is one reported case of pachydermoperiostosis with chronic hepatitis B infection. We do not imply a causal relationship between pachydermoperiostosis and hepatitis B infection because pachydermoperiostosis is a genetic disorder; however, the question is raised whether hypertrophic osteoarthropathy is one of the many extrahepatic manifestations of chronic hepatitis B infection.

A 21-year-old African (Ghanaian) man with chronic hepatitis B infection was referred to our Endocrine unit as having acromegaly with changing facial features, enlarging hands and feet, and large knee joint effusions which affected activities of daily living. He was finally diagnosed as having pachydermoperiostosis when acromegaly, rheumatological disorders, as well as cardiopulmonary disorders were ruled out. He improved with arthrocentesis, a tapering regime of steroids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and proton pump inhibitors.

The possible role of hepatitis B in hypertrophic osteoarthropathy, that is, secondary hypertrophic osteoarthropathy, needs to be explored; however, with digital clubbing in his father our patient is likely to have pachydermoperiostosis.