[Who dies with hepatitis C virus in France?].
OBJECTIVE
To describe the characteristics of anti-HCV positive patients who have died in France.


METHODS
Prospective study of deceased or transplanted anti-HCV positive patients between January 1994 and February 1996, followed in Gastroenterology and Liver Units in 18 French General Hospitals. Retrospective study of patients with cirrhosis unrelated to HCV infection who died during the same period in 8 of these hospitals.


RESULTS
Ninety-seven anti-HCV positive patients, 53 males and 44 females, deceased during the study period (except one transplanted patient), at a mean age of 67 (median: 71), from liver disease in 79% of cases (all had cirrhosis, and 49 hepatocellular carcinoma). The supposed sources of infection were: blood transfusion (44%), intravenous drug use (10%), unknown (46%). All 27 patients (22 men) with a daily alcohol intake of 80 g or more had cirrhosis, and died an average of 10 years earlier. The anti-HVC negative patients with alcoholic cirrhosis who died were three times as numerous, and had similar characteristics to anti-VHC positive alcoholic patients.


CONCLUSIONS
HCV-infected patients who die of liver disease lose 5 to 10 years of life expectancy, and 10 years more if they drink 80 g or more of alcohol daily.
D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000401:mortality / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000401:mortality* / Q000635:transmission; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous / Q000009:adverse effects; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000821:virology; D008104:Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic / Q000401:mortality / Q000821:virology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D065227:Transfusion Reaction
D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous