Risk factors for acute non-A, non-B hepatitis in the United States and association with hepatitis C virus infection.
The Centers for Disease Control conducted intensive surveillance for acute non-A, non-B hepatitis in four sentinel counties over a 7-year period. Testing for antibody to hepatitis C virus was performed with the newly developed enzyme immunoassay. The incidence of non-A, non-B hepatitis remained relatively stable (average, 7.1 cases per 100,000, but there were significant changes in disease transmission patterns. The proportion of patients with a history of blood transfusion declined from 17% to 6%, but the proportion with a history of parenteral drug use increased from 21% to 42%. The proportion of patients with histories of sexual exposure (6%), household exposure (3%), occupational exposure to blood (2%), or hemodialysis (0.6%) did not change over time. Antibody to hepatitis C virus was found in 45% of patients within 6 weeks of onset of illness and in 68% of patients followed up for at least 6 months. Patients with no history of transfusions were just as likely to be positive for antibody to hepatitis C virus as patients with transfusion-associated hepatitis, indicating that hepatitis C virus is the major causative agent of all non-A, non-B hepatitis in the United States.
Alter
M J
MJ
Hepatitis Branch, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Ga. 30333.
Hadler
S C
SC
Judson
F N
FN
Mares
A
A
Alexander
W J
WJ
Hu
P Y
PY
Miller
J K
JK
Moyer
L A
LA
Fields
H A
HA
Bradley
D W
DW
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology*; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000032:analysis; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D007075:Immunoglobulin M