Low prevalence of hepatitis C virus antibodies in chronic liver disease in northwest China

✍ Scribed by Xing Li; Norio Hayashi; Nobukazu Yuki; Kazuhiro Katayama; Akinori Kasahara; Hideyuki Fusamoto; Shulin Zhang; Takenobu Kamada

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1993
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 422 KB
• Volume: 41
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0146-6615
• DOI: 10.1002/jmv.1890410313

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

To evaluate the prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection in northwest China, 179 chronic liver disease patients in this area were examined for antibody to hepatitis C virus core protein (anti‐HCVcore). This antibody was found in only 5 (14 percent) of 37 chronic non‐A, non‐B liver disease patients, in 11 (16%) of 67 asymptomatic hepatitis B virus carriers, and in 20 (27%) of 75 chronic hepatitis B patients. High titers of anti‐HCVcore (cut off index >2) were observed in 3 (60%), 5 (45%), and 9 (45%) of the anti‐HCVcore‐positive cases of these groups, respectively. We further investigated the seroprevalence of antibodies to hepatitis B virus in the 37 chronic non‐A, non‐B liver disease patients. All 5 anti‐HCVcore‐positive cases were positive for a hepatitis B virus marker, with only 44% (14/32) of the anti‐HCVcore‐negative patients (P < 0.05). Based on these findings, it is concluded that the prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection in chronic non‐A, non‐B liver disease is unexpectedly low in northwest China and that hepatitis B and C viruses seem to have a similar mode of infection in that area.