title: Anti-HCV antibody in Chinese cirrhotic patients with or without hepatocellular carcinoma: relation to multitransfusion.
abstract: To investigate the positive rates of antibodies to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) in Chinese cirrhotic patients with or without hepatocellular carcinoma and to evaluate the influence of blood transfusion on the prevalence of anti-HCV in such patients, a longitudinal study in 30 cirrhotic patients (17 combined with hepatocellular carcinoma) was carried out. Five patients (16.7%) were anti-HCV positive before transfusion. The positive rate of anti-HCV in HBsAg-positive patients and HBsAg-negative patients was 9.5% (2/21) and 33.3% (3/9), respectively. The positive rates in cirrhotic patients with or without hepatocellular carcinoma were 23.5% (4/17) and 7.7% (1/13), respectively. The positive rate of anti-HCV increased significantly after multitransfusion, and the estimated infectivity of blood products was 6.1 patients per 1000 units of blood products. It was concluded that the aetiological role of hepatitis C virus on liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma in the endemic area of hepatitis B virus is not so important as in Western countries, and transfusion might result in an overestimated pathogenic effect of hepatitis C virus in cirrhotic patients and patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical College, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: W Y
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: L Y
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: W L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Chuang
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: S N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: You
mesh_terms: D001803:Blood Transfusion; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology*; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens