title: Disease progression in Chinese patients with hepatitis C virus RNA-positive infection via blood transfusion.
abstract: The majority of patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) in China were infected via blood transfusion prior to the year 1996. In this systematic retrospective cohort study, disease progression in 804 consecutive patients with transfusion-acquired HCV is investigated. In addition, the occurrence of compensated cirrhosis, decompensated cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is analyzed among these patients, along with the risk factors for disease progression. Patients with cirrhosis or HCC were classified as the serious development group (SD group) and the remaining patients with chronic hepatitis were classified as the hepatitis group (H group). Significant differences were found between the two groups in age at the time of infection, duration of infection and age at the time of observation. SD group patients were significantly older at the time of transfusion (33.73 vs. 23.56 years; P<0.001), with a significantly longer mean duration of HCV infection (21.88 vs. 21.15 years; P=0.029) compared with that in the H group. Male gender and age at the time of transfusion were significant risk factors for HCC (OR=2.48, P=0.031 and OR=1.07, P=0.002, respectively). Age was a significant risk factor for disease progression in older Chinese patients with transfusion-acquired HCV, and there were significant differences in the prevalence of compensated cirrhosis, decompensated cirrhosis and HCC between the age groups (P<0.001), suggesting that more patients with HCV may develop cirrhosis or HCC in their third and fourth decades of infection. Results of the present study will be helpful for predicting disease progression in Chinese patients with HCV infected via blood transfusion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infection, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450000, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yan-Feng
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: Department of Infection, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450000, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepatobiliary Pancreatic Surgery, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, Zhengzhou, Henan 450003, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: Department of Infection, The First Hospital Affiliated to Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan 475000, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: Department of Infection, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450000, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Infection, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450000, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Gong
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Ping
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450000, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yan-Ting
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: Department of Infection, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450000, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Ping
authors.initials: XP
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Infection, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450000, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.affiliation: Department of Infection, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450000, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Hua-Hua
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Li
keywords: blood transfusion; cirrhosis; hepatitis C; hepatocellular carcinoma; risk factors