HCV infection in Egyptian patients with acute hepatitis.
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.
Quinti
I
I
Department of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
el-Salman
D
D
Monier
M K
MK
Hackbart
B G
BG
Darwish
M S
MS
el-Zamiaty
D
D
Paganelli
R
R
Pandolfi
F
F
Arthur
R R
RR
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
D015415:Biomarkers; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D012367:RNA, Viral