title: Role of hepatitis C virus in acute non-A, non-B hepatitis in Greece: a 5-year prospective study.
abstract: The prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in 182 prospectively followed adult patients (110 males, 72 females) with acute non-A, non-B hepatitis and its correlation with progression to chronic hepatitis were studied. These patients were followed for a mean of 24.7 +/- 13.1 (range, 6-57) months. By using a specific enzyme immunoassay for the detection of antibodies against C100-3 polypeptide of HCV, 96 (52.7%) were found antibody positive. HCV was implicated in 64/89 (71.9%) of the cases with classical parenteral exposure but only in 18/64 (28.1%) of the community-acquired cases. Progression to chronic hepatitis was observed more frequently in antibody-positive than in antibody-negative cases (60/96 or 62.5% vs. 27/86 or 31.4%, P = 0.00002). Progression was also observed more often in males than in females (66/112 or 58.9% vs. 21/70 or 30.0% P = 0.0001), both in the antibody positive (48/68 or 70.6% vs. 12/28 or 42.9%, P = 0.01) and in the antibody negative (18/44 or 40.9% vs. 9/42 or 21.4%, P = 0.043) cases. These data indicate that (a) acute hepatitis due to HCV is characterized by a high rate of chronicity, especially in males, and (b) a non-A, non-B, non-C agent or a different strain of HCV may be responsible for the majority of the community-acquired cases of non-A, non-B hepatitis in Greece.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Medicine, Western Attica General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: N C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Tassopoulos
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hatzakis
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Delladetsima
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Koutelou
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Todoulos
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Miriagou
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D006716:Homosexuality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications; D065227:Transfusion Reaction