title: Routes of infection and clinical outcome of Mexican women reactive to anti-hepatitis C virus antibodies.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Risk factors for the hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection influence both the frequency and the progression of the liver disease. Routes of transmission and severity of the liver damage may differ by gender. We aimed to describe the risk factors for HCV infection and for the severity of the liver disease among women seroreactive to anti-HCV antibodies. Also, we tested the hypothesis that length of infection influences the levels of anti-HCV, in transfusion-associated hepatitis C.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-six interferon-naive women, repeatedly seroreactive to anti-HCV antibodies, aged>20 years, were studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Surgeries (80%) and transfusion before 1993 (58%) were the main risk factors (52% cases had both). The main reason for practicing surgery was obstetric/gynecologic (74%). The main indication for transfusion was also obstetric/gynecologic (68%). Fifty-five (64%) women were positive to HCV RNA in serum, of them, coinfection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV) occurred in three (5%) cases, being occult hepatitis B (i.e., positive to HBV DNA, but negative to hepatitis B surface antigen) in two (4%). In multivariate analysis, determining factors of cirrhosis at histologic examination were age and the antecedent of transfusion before 1993. Anti-HCV levels correlated with the elapsed time from transfusion to diagnosis, but not with age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An obstetric/gynecologic indication was the most frequent reason for both surgery and transfusion. Hepatitis B coinfection had a low prevalence and did not influence the severity of the liver disease, as age and the antecedent of transfusion certainly did. Infection length influenced the levels of anti-HCV antibodies in transfusion-associated hepatitis C.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology in Medicine, Civil Hospital of Guadalajara "Fray Antonio Alcalde", Hospital 278, Guadalajara, Postal Code 44280, Jalisco, Mexico; Department of Physiology, University Center of Health Sciences (CUCS), University of Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.
authors.forename: Erwin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chiquete
authors.forename: Laura V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.forename: Arturo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Panduro