title: Is hepatitis C virus involved in hepatitis-associated aplastic anemia?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether hepatitis C virus is involved in hepatitis-associated aplastic anemia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Bone marrow transplantation unit.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and eighteen patients with severe aplastic anemia, including 19 with hepatitis-associated aplasia, 61 with aplastic anemia of undetermined cause, and 38 with aplastic anemia related to an inherited syndrome or an acquired etiology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no statistically significant difference in antihepatitis C virus antibodies between hepatitis-related aplastic anemia (15.8%; 95% CI, 4% to 36%) and aplasia of unknown (9.8%; CI, 5% to 22%) or known (7.9%; CI, 2% to 22%) cause. The antihepatitis C virus levels did not differ according to the cause of aplastic anemia. There was no relation between hepatitis C and hepatitis B virus serologies, regardless of cause.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hepatitis C virus is not a frequent cause of non-A, non-B hepatitis-associated aplastic anemia. Either a non-A, non-B, non-C hepatitis virus is involved in non-A, non-B hepatitis-related aplasia or hepatitis C virus prevalence is underestimated in patients with hepatitis-related aplasia, possibly as a result of immunologic defects.
authors.affiliation: Hôpital Laënnec, Paris, France.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pol
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Driss
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Devergie
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brechot
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Berthelot
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gluckman
mesh_terms: D000741:Anemia, Aplastic / Q000209:etiology*; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012698:Serologic Tests
chemical_list: D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies