Lack of influence of hepatitis G virus infection on alcohol-related hepatic lesions.
BACKGROUND
The purposes of this study were to analyse the prevalence and histologic impact of hepatitis G virus (HGV), a newly discovered virus, in alcoholic patients, a population known to be at risk for viral hepatitis.


METHODS
One hundred and thirty-nine consecutive alcoholics admitted to our liver unit (106 men and 33 women; mean age, 47.1 +/- 10.9 years) were included in the study. All patients had consumed more than 60 g of ethanol per day for at least 1 year. One hundred healthy blood donors constituted a control group. Antibodies to HGV E2 protein and HGV-RNA testing by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with primers derived from the NS5 coding region were performed in all serum samples.


RESULTS
A significantly higher seroprevalence of anti-E2 antibodies was observed in alcoholic patients than in healthy blood donors (41 (29.5%) versus 8 (8%); P < 0.0001). Moreover, the prevalence of HGV-RNA was significantly higher in alcoholic patients (13 (9.3%) versus 1 (1%); P = 0.01). HGV-RNA and anti-HGV antibodies were never detected simultaneously. HGV viraemia was not associated with an increased risk of cirrhosis or hepatocarcinoma in alcoholic subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
Our study reports a high prevalence of HGV in alcoholic patients. HGV infection does not modify or aggravate the course of alcoholic liver disease.
Tran
A
A
Dept. of Immunology, Archet 2 Hospital, Nice, France.
Hastier
P
P
Longo
F
F
Yang
G
G
Ouzan
D
D
Durant
J
J
Follana
R
R
Buckley
M
M
Saint-Paul
M C
MC
Doglio
A
A
Rampal
P
P
Benzaken
S
S
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D018067:Flaviviridae / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008108:Liver Diseases, Alcoholic / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D014766:Viremia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology