Hepatitis C Virus Infection in an Area Hyperendemic for Hepatitis B and Chronic Liver Disease: The Taiwan Experience

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases Vol. 162; no. 4; pp. 817 - 822
• Main Authors: Chen, Ding-Shinn, Kuo, George C., Sung, Juei-Low, Lai, Ming-Yang, Sheu, Jin-Chuan, Chen, Pei-Jer, Yang, Pei-Ming, Hsu, Hsu-Mei, Chang, Mei-Hwei, Chen, Chien-Jen, Hahn, Liang-Cheng, Choo, Qui-Lim, Wang, Teh-Hong, Houghton, Michael
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL The University of Chicago Press 01.10.1990; University of Chicago Press
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Antibodies; Biological and medical sciences; Blood donation; Blood Donors; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - complications; Chronic Disease; Cirrhosis; Female; General aspects; Hemophilia A - complications; Hepacivirus; Hepatitis; Hepatitis Antibodies - analysis; Hepatitis B - complications; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; Hepatitis B virus; Hepatitis C - complications; Hepatitis C - epidemiology; Hepatitis Viruses - immunology; Hepatitis, Viral, Human - epidemiology; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Humans; Infections; Infectious diseases; Liver Diseases - complications; Liver Neoplasms - complications; Major Articles; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Predisposing factors; Prevalence; Substance Abuse, Intravenous - complications; Taiwan - epidemiology; Viruses; Asia; Taiwan; Infection; Human; Non A non B viral hepatitis; Prevalence; Antibody; Immunological investigation; Viral disease; Digestive diseases; Hepatic disease; Epidemiology; In vitro; Humoral immunity
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1093/infdis/162.4.817

To assess the contribution of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in liver disease in Taiwan, antibody to HCV (anti-HCV) was studied by radioimmunoassay in 392 patients with chronic liver disease and in 440 healthy adults and 444 subjects at risk. The anti-HCV prevalence was 0.95% in 420 volunteer blood donors, 90% in 100 hemophiliacs, and 81% in 58 parenteral drug abusers. AntiHCV was present in 6 (7.7%) of 78 hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive and 28 (65%) of 43 HBsAg-negative patients with chronic hepatitis, 3 (10%) of 31 HBsAg-positive and 13 (43%) of 30 HBsAg-negative cirrhotics, and 7 (17%) of 42 HBsAg-positive and 15 (63%) of24 HBsAgnegative patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). An outbreak of non-A, non-B hepatitis revealed 18% of 57 patients to bepositive for anti-HCV, and in 29 patients with posttransfusion hepatitis prospectively followed, 7 (24%) developed anti-HCV. Thus, HCV infection appears to playa relatively minor role in HBsAg-positive liver disease in Taiwan but is strongly associated with HBsAg-negative chronic liver disease and HCC. The infection is extremely common in hemophiliacs and parenteral drug abusers.