The occurrence of hepatitis B and C viruses in Pakistani patients with chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma.
To study the occurrence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Pakistan, blood samples from 105 sequential patients with biopsy-proven CLD (n = 82) and HCC (n = 23) were tested for HBV and HCV markers. Of the 105, 87 (83%) had evidence of hepatitis B exposure, 58 (55%) were positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), 23 (22%) had hepatitis C antibodies and 25 (24%) had detectable HCV RNA. Significantly more patients with HCC had evidence of HBV exposure in the absence of HCV markers (49/82 vs. 20/23, odds ratio 4.49, 95% CI 1.17-25.16). The proportion of patients positive for HBsAg with no HCV markers was also significantly higher in the HCC group (34/82 vs. 18/23, odds ratio 5.08, 95% CI 1.59-18.96). There were more patients with only HCV markers in the CLD group than the HCC group but the difference was not statistically significant (19/82 vs. 1/23, odds ratio 6.63, 95% CI 0.93-288.01). A modified non-isotopic restriction fragment length polymorphism study on PCR products was used to investigate the epidemiology of HCV genotypes in Pakistan. Due to depletion of the initial samples, a second series of specimens collected one year afterwards was used. Fifteen out of 40 samples had amplifiable product and all were identified as type 3. A commercial serological typing method on the same samples also confirmed that type 3 was the predominant HCV genotype in Pakistan.
Tong
C Y
CY
Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Liverpool, UK.
Khan
R
R
Beeching
N J
NJ
Tariq
W U
WU
Hart
C A
CA
Ahmad
N
N
Malik
I A
IA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000208:ethnology / Q000821:virology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications* / Q000208:ethnology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications* / Q000208:ethnology; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000208:ethnology / Q000821:virology*; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010154:Pakistan / Q000208:ethnology; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012703:Serotyping; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology