title: Prevalence of anti-HCV in cryptogenic cirrhosis in a suburban Detroit community.
abstract: To assess the role of the hepatitis C virus in patients with unexplained chronic liver disease, we tested for the presence of anti-hepatitis C antibody (anti-HCV) in the stored serum of patients with cryptogenic cirrhosis and a variety of other chronic liver diseases. The anti-HCV assay was performed by both the enzyme-linked and recombinant immunoblot methods in 16 patients with cryptogenic cirrhosis. Eight of these 16 patients (50%) were seropositive. Six of these eight patients were born outside of the United States, compared with only one of eight seronegative patients (p = 0.021). Of the anti-HCV-positive cryptogenic cirrhotic patients, 50% also had markers of previous hepatitis B infection, compared with only 12.5% of seronegative patients. Evidence of anti-HCV positivity was found in 10%, 19%, 0%, and 0% in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis, autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis, and primary sclerosing cholangitis, respectively. We conclude that in a suburban American population, hepatitis C accounts for a significant percentage of patients with presumed cryptogenic cirrhosis. Unrecognized risk factors may account for a higher prevalence of HCV in foreign-born patients with cryptogenic cirrhosis. A low prevalence of anti-HCV positivity is found in other forms of chronic liver disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Michigan.
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Barnes
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Gordon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology*; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D008824:Michigan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012698:Serologic Tests
chemical_list: D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies