title: The prevalence of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infection among patients with chronic liver disease in South India.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Determining the identity of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes in liver disease has key implications for ascertaining the duration of antiviral therapy and disease prognosis. We investigated the presence of various genotypes of HCV among 69 chronic liver diseased (CLD) patients with chronic HCV infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-nine consecutive subjects with underlying chronic hepatitis (n=28), cirrhosis (n=35), and hepatocellular carcinoma (n=6), diagnosed by clinical, biochemical, and histological means, were studied. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and HCV diagnostic markers were used. HCV-RNA was extracted from sera of HCV-infected subjects and subsequently the HCV genotypes were determined using a commercial line probe assay (Inno-LiPA HCV II).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 69 CLD cases screened for possible markers of HBV and HCV infection, 39 (57%) were positive for HBV and 30 (43%) were HCV infected. The overall HCV-RNA positivity was 77% (23/30). Of these, the majority were genotype 1b (13/23, 57%), followed by 1a (6/23, 26%), mixed genotypes 3 and 4(3/23, 13%), and mixed pattern of 1a, 1b, and 4 (1/23, 4.3%). The genotype 1b infected subjects demonstrated significantly elevated transaminase (ALT) levels (p<0.05) as compared with the other non-1b HCV genotypes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The predominance of HCV genotype 1b among CLD patients could pose a major challenge for the efficient management of HCV disease and the development of effective therapeutic interventions in peninsular India.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Dr. ALM Post Graduate Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Madras, Chennai 600 113, India. saravanan@yrgcare.org
authors.forename: Shanmugam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saravanan
authors.forename: Vijayakumar
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Velu
authors.forename: Nagalingeswaran
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kumarasamy
authors.forename: Esaki Muthu
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Shankar
authors.forename: Subhadra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nandakumar
authors.forename: Kailapuri G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Murugavel
authors.forename: Pachamuthu
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Balakrishnan
authors.forename: Sunil Suhas
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Solomon
authors.forename: Suniti
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Solomon
authors.forename: Sadras Panchatcharam
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Thyagarajan
mesh_terms: D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence