Occult hepatitis C virus infection: a new form of hepatitis C.
Occult hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a new recently characterized entity. This occult infection can be present in two different clinical situations: in anti-HCV negative, serum HCV-RNA negative patients with abnormal liver function tests and in anti-HCV positive subjects with normal values of liver enzymes and without serum HCV-RNA. This review describes recent studies of occult HCV infection in both kinds of patients.
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Fundación para el Estudio de las Hepatitis Virales, Guzmán el Bueno, 72, Madrid 28015, Spain. fehvhpa@fehv.org
D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000209:etiology / Q000821:virology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000821:virology; D015995:Prevalence; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D012307:Risk Factors; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000235:genetics
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D012367:RNA, Viral