[Non A-G chronic hepatitis in Japan].
It is clear that certain patients with viral hepatitis are also seronegative for types A, B, C, D, and E. Although hepatitis G virus was discovered recently, this virus has been reported to be non-contributing or only slightly conductive to liver dysfunction. In this article, epidemiological studies regarding patients seronegative for types A to G chronic hepatitis in Japan are reported. Among 1089 patients with chronic liver disease, twenty-five patients (1.8%; 14 chronic hepatitis, 4 cirrhosis, 2 hepatocellular carcinoma) were diagnosed as non A-G hepatitis (negative for HbsAg, HCV-Ab, and HGV RNA). Only 3 of 25 these patients had histories of blood transfusion. The levels of transaminase in the patients with chronic non-A to G hepatitis (without hepatocellular carcinoma) was as the same as those in patients with chronic hepatitis type B and C. Our results indicated a low prevalence of non-A to G chronic hepatitis, yet a few cases were progressive to cirrhosis or HCC, and this may be due to another unknown agents for non-A to G hepatitis.
Orii
K
K
Second Department of Internal Medicine, Shinshu University School of Medicine.
Tanaka
E
E
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004267:DNA Viruses / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D065227:Transfusion Reaction