Prevalence of anti-HCV among spouses and offspring of anti-HCV positive subjects: an Italian multicentre study.
The role of familial environment in the spreading of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is not well established. We studied 1670 family members for 578 anti-HCV+ subjects enrolled in 8 centres distributed throughout Italy. The prevalence of anti-HCV positivity was significantly higher in spouses than in offspring (15.6% and 2.1% respectively; p < 0.01), with no difference between northern and central-southern regions of Italy. Anti-HCV positivity was found almost exclusively in adults; among offspring, during the first two decades of life, the prevalence of anti-HCV positivity was significantly lower than in subjects over 20 years old (0.6% vs 3.1%, respectively).
Caporaso
N
N
Dipartimento di Internistica, Clinica F Magrassi, II Università di Napoli, Italy.
Ascione
A
A
D'Antonio
M
M
Di Costanzo
G G
GG
Galeota Lanza
A
A
Tremolada
F
F
Diodati
G
G
Rumi
M G
MG
Parravicini
M L
ML
Pastore
G
G
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000635:transmission; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D006801:Humans; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D018454:Spouses
D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies