title: HCV infection in Egyptian patients with acute hepatitis.
abstract: The diagnostics of community-acquired acute HCV hepatitis in an endemic area was studied in 110 Egyptian patients with acute jaundice. In the first week of the jaundiced period 30 of 110 patients (27.3%) had anti-HCV antibodies. The majority already showed high levels of anti-HCV IgG (25/30), associated with anti-HCV IgM in nine of them. Five patients showed only an HCV IgM reactivity. Seven had also anti-HEV and/or anti-HBV: their jaundice could then be related to an acute infection caused by those viruses. All patients were infected with genotype 4a, in three associated with the 3a. During the follow-up five patients seroconverted for IgG, while their anti-HCV IgM did not show a uniform pattern of reactivity. Patients with positive serology suspected of an acute HCV infection were older than the patients with other acute hepatitis and showed a lower peak of ALT level. Seroconversion during acute hepatitis strongly indicated HCV as the etiologic agent. However, the detection of anti-HCV IgG antibodies in the jaundiced period showed that the majority of patients had already seroconverted to anti-HCV antibodies; in most of them it is possible to hypothesize a reactivation of a chronic HCV infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Quinti
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: el-Salman
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Monier
authors.forename: B G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Hackbart
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Darwish
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: el-Zamiaty
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Paganelli
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pandolfi
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Arthur
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D004534:Egypt / Q000453:epidemiology; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007565:Jaundice / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D014766:Viremia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D012367:RNA, Viral