TY - JOUR
KW - Biomarkers
KW - Female
KW - genotype
KW - Hepacivirus
KW - Hepatitis C
KW - Hepatitis C Antibodies
KW - Humans
KW - Immunoenzyme Techniques
KW - leprosy
KW - Liver
KW - Liver Function Tests
KW - Male
KW - Prevalence
KW - RNA, Viral
KW - Transaminases
KW - Viremia
AU - Egawa K
AU - Yukawa T
AU - Arakawa S
AU - Tanaka T
AU - Tsuda F
AU - Okamoto H
AU - Miyakawa Y
AU - Mayumi M
AB - <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>
BT - Journal of hepatology
C1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8738725?dopt=Abstract
DA - 1996 Apr
DO - 10.1016/s0168-8278(96)80159-0
IS - 4
J2 - J. Hepatol.
LA - eng
N2 - <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>
PY - 1996
SP - 397
EP - 402
T2 - Journal of hepatology
TI - Hepatitis C virus antibody, viral RNA and genotypes in leprous patients in Japan.
VL - 24
SN - 0168-8278
ER -