Premium
Non‐A, non‐B posttransfusion hepatitis: Comparing C and non‐C hepatitis
Author(s) -
Koretz Ronald L.,
Brezina Maria,
Polito Alan J.,
Quan Stella,
Wilber Judith,
Dinello Robert,
Gitnick Gary
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
hepatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.488
H-Index - 361
eISSN - 1527-3350
pISSN - 0270-9139
DOI - 10.1002/hep.1840170303
Subject(s) - seroconversion , medicine , hepatology , hepatitis , serology , hepatitis c virus , hepatitis c , antibody , immunology , hepatitis b , gastroenterology , liver disease , viral hepatitis , viral disease , virology , volunteer , antigen , virus , biology , agronomy
Using assays to detect antibodies against antigens (C‐100, 5‐1‐1, C‐22 and C‐33) of the hepatitis C virus, we tested stored sera from 40 patients prospectively identified as having non‐A, non‐B posttransfusion hepatitis. The 28 patients who demonstrated seroconversion (“documented hepatitis C”) had more severe initial disease; all 20 cases of chronic hepatitis occurred in this subgroup. Only 2 of the 12 patients who did not demonstrate such seroconversion even had symptoms. In the group of patients with documented hepatitis C, chronic hepatitis was more commonly seen in men (89%) than in women (40%). The patients in whom antibody to the C‐100 antigen developed were younger and had received more blood than had those patients who had hepatitis C diagnosed by demonstration of antibodies to the 5‐1‐1, C‐22 or C‐33 antigen (or all three). The proportion of cases of posttransfusion hepatitis that could be associated with antibody seroconversion decreased around the time that blood banks switched to an all‐volunteer system. The hepatitis seen in patients who failed to demonstrate serological evidence of hepatitis C virus exposure was usually clinically unimportant; it may or may not have been due to viral infection. (H EPATOLOGY 1993;17:361–365.)