title: Hepatitis C virus infection and related liver disease in children of mothers with antibodies to the virus.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the clinical, biochemical, and virologic features associated with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection acquired early in life from mothers with antibodies to HCV (anti-HCV).
  
  
  METHODS
  Multicenter prospective-retrospective study in Italian children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two groups of children were investigated. Group 1 included 14 infants, born to mothers with anti-HCV but without human immunodeficiency virus infection, who became seropositive for HCV RNA during the first year of life and were thus considered infected. Group 2 included 16 children with chronic hepatitis C, aged 1 1/2 to 14 years, whose mothers were the unique potential source of infection. Both groups were followed for 12 to 48 months.
  
  
  METHODS
  Alanine transaminase (ALT), anti-HCV, and HCV RNA were investigated by the polymerase chain reaction on entry to the study and during follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All children in group 1 had anti-HCV throughout follow-up, and all had ALT abnormalities, ranging from 1.5 to 10.5 times the normal value during the first 12 months. During further follow-up, 5 of 10 children had HCV RNA with abnormal ALT values, 3 had a return to normal of the ALT values but continued to have viremia, and 2 eventually had normal ALT values and clearance of HCV RNA. Of the 16 children in group 2, all were free of symptoms and 62% had only slight ALT elevations; 7 who underwent liver biopsy had histologic features of minimal or moderate hepatitis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HCV infection acquired early in life from mothers with anti-HCV is usually associated with biochemical features of liver damage during the first 12 months of life. Progression to chronicity seems to occur in the majority of cases, although HCV-associated liver disease is likely to be mild throughout infancy and childhood.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bortolotti
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Resti
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Giacchino
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Azzari
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gussetti
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Crivellaro
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barbera
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mannelli
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zancan
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bertolini
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000906:Antibodies / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000150:complications; D006505:Hepatitis / Q000209:etiology*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012367:RNA, Viral; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D012367:RNA, Viral; D000410:Alanine Transaminase