title: Risk factors for acute non-A, non-B hepatitis in the United States and association with hepatitis C virus infection.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Hepatitis Branch, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Ga. 30333.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Alter
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Hadler
authors.forename: F N
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Judson
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mares
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.forename: P Y
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Moyer
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Fields
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Bradley
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D007075:Immunoglobulin M