Significance of antibody to hepatitis C virus in Japanese patients with viral hepatitis: relationship between anti-HCV antibody and the prognosis of non-A, non-B post-transfusion hepatitis.
In a retrospective study, antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV antibody) was measured in 80 patients with acute viral hepatitis (type A, 18; type B, 21; type non-A,non-B, 41). Anti-HCV antibody was found in 12 of 20 patients (60%) with non-A,non-B post-transfusion hepatitis (NANB-PTH) and in 9 of 21 patients (43%) with sporadic NANB hepatitis (NANB-SPO). Patients with acute hepatitis type A or type B did not have anti-HCV antibody. The number of patients who developed chronic hepatitis was greater in the group with anti-HCV antibody than in the anti-HCV negative group in both NANB-PTH and NANB-SPO. The difference was significant in those with NANB-PTH (P less than 0.05). To investigate the relationship between the long-term prognosis of NANB-PTH and the course of anti-HCV, we studied anti-HCV antibody in 12 patients who developed chronic type C hepatitis (C-CH) after PTH and followed them for more than 5 years after the development of PTH. One year after the development of PTH, all 12 had anti-HCV antibody. Five lost anti-HCV antibody (group 1) while 7 remained positive (group 2) at the final examination. Four of the 5 patients in group 1 had normal serum transaminases; however, abnormal transaminase persisted in all 7 patients in group 2 until the end of follow-up (P less than 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Tanaka
E
E
Department of Internal Medicine, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.
Kiyosawa
K
K
Sodeyama
T
T
Nakano
Y
Y
Yoshizawa
K
K
Hayata
T
T
Shimizu
S
S
Nakatsuji
Y
Y
Koike
Y
Y
Furuta
S
S
D000328:Adult; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology*; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis*; D018936:Hepatitis C Antigens; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D000637:Transaminases / Q000097:blood
D000956:Antigens, Viral; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D018936:Hepatitis C Antigens; D000637:Transaminases