02075nas a2200409   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001500055653001100070653001300081653001600094653001600110653002700126653001100153653002800164653001200192653001000204653002500214653000900239653001500248653001500263653001800278653001200296100001200308700001300320700001400333700001300347700001200360700001400372700001500386700001300401245008600414300001200500490000700512520113200519022001401651       1996                            d  c1996 Apr10aBiomarkers10aFemale10agenotype10aHepacivirus10aHepatitis C10aHepatitis C Antibodies10aHumans10aImmunoenzyme Techniques10aleprosy10aLiver10aLiver Function Tests10aMale10aPrevalence10aRNA, Viral10aTransaminases10aViremia1 aEgawa K1 aYukawa T1 aArakawa S1 aTanaka T1 aTsuda F1 aOkamoto H1 aMiyakawa Y1 aMayumi M00aHepatitis C virus antibody, viral RNA and genotypes in leprous patients in Japan.  a397-4020 v243 a<p><b>BACKGROUND/METHODS: </b>Markers of hepatitis C virus infection were tested for in 229 patients with leprosy (male 154, female 75) in Japan.</p><p><b>RESULTS: </b>Antibody to hepatitis C virus by a second-generation enzyme immunoassay was detected in 68 patients (30%), and RNA of hepatitis C virus in 41 (18%), in prevalence rates much higher (p < 0.001) than those in matched controls (11/923 or 1.2% and 9/923 or 1.0%, respectively). Hepatitis C virus genotypes were II/1b in 37 (90%), III/2a in three (7%) and IV/2b in one (2%), in which II/1b was more frequently (p < 0.003) represented than in hepatitis C virus carriers without leprosy in Japan (520/767 or 68%). The 41 patients with hepatitis C virus viremia had serum transaminase levels significantly higher than those in the other 188 patients without viremia (p < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS: </b>These results indicate that leprous patients confined in institutions are at high risk of hepatitis C virus infection, and that patients infected with hepatitis C virus should be monitored for liver function and placed on interferon therapy whenever required.</p>  a0168-8278