Chronic hepatitis C

Overview

In a retrospective study of 225 anti-HCV positive cases of chronic hepatitis C in the years 1993–2003, 83 (37%) patients received blood transfusion prior to the year 1992, and 39 (17%) were i.v. drug addicts. The authors evaluated anamnestic data on viral hepatitides B and C, alcohol intake, blood transfusion, i.v. drug addiction, internal and surgical affections. Histological examination of the liver had been performed in 129 (57%) patients. Serology was carried out by 3rd generation ELISA methods, HCV RNA was detected by the polymerase chain reaction method. Results: Acute or chronic hepatitis C suffered only 8.4% of the patients, alcohol was consumed by 45%, the most frequent ailments were obesity, cholelithiasis, and hypertension, and of surgical intervention it was gall bladder surgery, accidents, resection of the stomach and intestines. Drug addicts were significantly younger than subjects with blood transfusion (p < 0.001). Almost 40% of patients had clinically diagnosed liver cirrhosis. Cirrhotic patients had significantly higher mean activities of AST than ALT, and lower thrombocyte counts (both p < 0.01) than patients without cirrhosis. HCV RNA was positive at least in 2/3 of the patients. Co-infection of HCV with hepatitis B virus was in 18.7% of whom 1/3 were drug addicts. Hepatocellular carcinoma was found in 9 patients (4%), all of them suffering cirrhosis. Antiviral therapy was administered in 23% of the patients. Only one male healed spontaneously following acute hepatitis C (0.44%). The results reveal that 90% of the patients were detected as chronic viral hepatitis C.

Key words:
chronic hepatitis C – diagnostics – complications.