title: The German Hep-Net acute hepatitis C cohort: impact of viral and host factors on the initial presentation of acute hepatitis C virus infection.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The impacts of viral load, genotype, age, sex and BMI on the clinical course of acute hepatitis C are poorly defined. Here we studied 259 patients with acute HCV infection recruited in the German Hep-Net data base between 1998 and 2008. Antiviral treatment with interferon alpha was initiated in 171 patients (66 %) within 4 months after the diagnosis of acute hepatitis C.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this cohort (i) the mode of infection was associated with age as iv-drug users were significantly younger than non-iv-drug users while the proportion of patients who acquired HCV by medical procedures increased with age; (ii) patients younger than 30 years were more often infected with genotype 3 (26 % versus 8 % for patients older than 50 years; p = 0.03); (iii) 51 % of patients were icteric and 28 % presented with a 30-fold elevation of liver enzymes, however, no fulminant hepatic failure occurred; (iv) HCV genotype was not associated with disease severity and time to onset of symptoms; (v) low HCV viremia was associated with lower serum AST levels and a longer time from exposure to onset of symptoms; (vi) disease severity was independent from the mode of infection, age, sex and body mass index (BMI).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this large cohort of patients admitted for antiviral therapy, acute hepatitis C took a rather mild course of disease in the majority of patients. Disease severity was not associated with HCV genotype, viral load, age, sex and BMI.
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Str.1 30625 Hannover.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Deterding
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wiegand
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Grüner
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hahn
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jäckel
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Buggisch
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Galle
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Berg
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hinrichsen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Potthoff
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zeuzem
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cornberg
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Manns
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wedemeyer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019562:Viral Load / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult