Clodoveo Ferri

Clodoveo Ferri (born 22 March 1947) is an Italian researcher in the field of clinical rheumatology, immunology and internal medicine. Since January 2003, Clodoveo Ferri is Professor of Rheumatology, Chief of the Chair of Rheumatology and director of the Postgraduate School of Rheumatology at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Modena, Italy. A native of Cropani, a small town in Calabria, Italy, Clodoveo Ferri graduated Cum Laude from the University of Pisa and later specialized in internal medicine and rheumatology. Since 1972, the majority of Ferri's work is mainly devoted to systemic sclerosis, cryoglobulinemic vasculitis and other autoimmune systemic disorders. In January 2003, he moved from the Rheumatology Unit of the University of Pisa to his current academic position at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. His most notable discoveries regard the causative role of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the majority of patients with mixed cryoglobulinemia (cryoglobulinemic vasculitis) and in a significant percentage of patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.[2] Ferri is a member of the SIR (Italian Society of Rheumatology)[3], GISC (Italian Group for the Study of Cryoglobulinemias), and international fellow of the American College of Rheumatology.[4] Scientific activity[edit] Ferri’s work includes clinical and laboratory investigations of different autoimmune and neoplastic diseases; in particular, the pathogenetic role of some viruses in mixed cryoglobulinemia syndrome (cryoglobulinemic vasculitis) and systemic sclerosis (scleroderma). In 1991, soon after the discovery of the hepatitis C virus (HCV), he demonstrated the presence of serum viral genome (HCV-RNA) in a large series of mixed cryoglobulinemia patients. This finding suggested a causative role of HCV in other virus-related extrahepatic manifestations, including autoimmune and lymphoproliferative disorders. The association of HCV with B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma was first demonstrated in 1994.[5] On the basis of these studies, confirmed and expanded by other authors worldwide, Clodoveo Ferri suggested the term "HCV syndrome", which refers to particular autoimmune-neoplastic complex triggered by HCV infections in predisposed individuals.[6] Moreover, Ferri investigated the pathogenetic role of parvovirus B19 and cytomegalovirus (CMV) in systemic sclerosis (scleroderma). A significantly higher prevalence of parvovirus B19 infection was originally demonstrated in both bone marrow and skin of scleroderma patients compared to controls. Ferri has published over 300 scientific papers in international journals, see PubMed[7], on the following topics: 1. Etiopathogenetic role of different viruses in autoimmune and neoplastic diseases: • 1990-91: identification of HCV as main triggering factor of mixed cryoglobulinemia (cryoglobulinemic vasculitis).[8] [2] • 1994: identification of HCV as triggering factor in a significant percentage of patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.[2][5] • 1993: possible role of HCV in patients with porphyria cutanea tarda, autoimmune hepatitis, autoimmune thyroiditis, and type 2 diabetes.[9] • 1999: possible role of HCV in papillary thyroid cancer.[10] • 1999: possible role of parvovirus B19 and CMV in systemic sclerosis (scleroderma).[11] 2. Serological studies and therapeutic trials on different rheumatic disorders (rheumatoid arthritis, SLE, systemic sclerosis, mixed cryoglobulinemia) 3. Etiopathogenesis, clinical features, survival, and treatment of mixed cryoglobulinemia syndrome (cryoglobulinemic vasculitis) ic sclerosis (scleroderma) including classification, visceral involvement (heart, lung), survival, and treatment 5. Role of plasmapheretic and dietetic treatments in some rheumatic disorders (cryoglobulinemic vasculitis, SLE, scleroderma, IgA nephropathy). The Ferri’s scientific production and related Hirsch index (H-index) are reported at the Google Scholar (https://scholar.google.it/citations?hl=it&user=l-sCKuEAAAAJ) and Top Italian Scientists (http://www.topitalianscientists.org/top_italian_scientists_VIA-Academy.aspx?Cerc 4. Etiopathogenesis and clinical follow-up of Raynaud’s phenomenon and systema=ferri) References[edit] Over 500 papers from 1978 to 2022