Characteristics of patients with chronic infection due to hepatitis C virus of mixed subtype: prevalence, viral RNA concentrations, and response to interferon therapy.
We studied 349 patients with chronic infection due to hepatitis C virus (HCV), including 83 with coagulopathy, 122 with community-acquired infection, 20 with chronic posttransfusion hepatitis C, and 124 for whom the transmission mode was unknown. The prevalence of mixed-subtype HCV infection was investigated in each group of patients. The serum HCV RNA concentration and the response to interferon (IFN) therapy were evaluated. HCV infection with mixed subtypes was more frequent in patients who had been at high risk for exposure to HCV, such as those with coagulopathy or community-acquired infection. HCV RNA concentrations were lower in patients infected with mixed subtypes, except for those with subtypes 1a and 1b. Ten of 11 patients with mixed subtypes (not including those with 1a and 1b) achieved complete clearance of HCV RNA with IFN therapy.
Toyoda
H
H
Second Department of Internal Medicine, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Japan.
Fukuda
Y
Y
Hayakawa
T
T
Takayama
T
T
Kumada
T
T
Nakano
S
S
Takamatsu
J
J
Saito
H
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012367:RNA, Viral; D011994:Recombinant Proteins
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral; D011994:Recombinant Proteins