Evaluation of health-related quality of life in chronic hepatitis C women patients / 中华肝脏病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) female patients, and to identify factors associated with impairment in HRQOL.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We enrolled 41 women cases with hepatitis C for 10 to 15 years and 51 health women in Guan area of Hebei province, China. HRQOL was assessed by the SF-36 by an interview.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>CHC female patients had significantly lower SF-36 scors in all subscales when compared to those of the non-HCV infected female population.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>CHC female patients have a reduced HRQOL. CHC alone is associated with significant impairment in HRQOL.</p>

Clinical outcomes of women with transfusion-associated hepatitis C after 10-15 years follow-up / 中华实验和临床病毒学杂志

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>To investigate natural history of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and related factors in China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Totally 41 women infected with HCV 10-15 years ago were evaluated in this study. Their clinical manifestations were recorded and sera tested for alamine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma-glutamyltransferase (gamma-GT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total bilirubin (TBIL), direct bilirubin (DBIL), total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), and alpha-fetoprotein (alpha-FP), as well as virus markers. The B-type ultrasound examination was performed on the liver, gall bladder, spleen and pancreas. For virus markers, HCV RNA was detected with fluorogenic-quantitative polymerase-chain-reaction, HBsAg and anti-HCV antibody, with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Ten to 15 years after infection, the infection was cleared spontaneously in 8 cases (19.51%); 73%(30/41) cases had signs at present, 32% (13/41) cases had mild ALT and/or AST elevation. On ultrasound examination, 83%(34/41) had mild degree 17%(7/41) moderate degree changes of the viral hepatitis.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Women with HCV infection for 13 +/- 1 (10-15) years after transfusion had slight hepatic inflammation. A part of them had cleared the virus spontaneously.</p>

Ten years outcome observation of infants with hepatitis C virus mother to infant transmission / 中华肝脏病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the outcome of hepatitis C virus (HCV) vertical transmitted infants.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Thirteen HCV vertical infected infants were followed up for 10 years. HCV antibody and HCV RNA in the blood samples from them were tested using second generation HCV antibody EIA kits and RT-PCR, respectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Among the 13 infants, one developed clinical hepatitis C, and serum HCV antibody and HCV RNA could be detected for 7 and 8 years, respectively. Three were subclinical hepatitis C, serum HCV antibody continued to be positive for 12 months (2 infants) and 24 months (1 infant), respectively, and serum HCV RNA turned to be negative at the 24th month (2 infants) and the 60th month (1 infant), respectively. Nine were HCV insidious infection, whose serum HCV antibody and HCV RNA turned to be negative in 12 months. During the eight to ten years, there was no infants with anti-HCV or HCV RNA positive again.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>It is rarely happened that vertical transmitted HCV induce chronic HCV carrying state and chronic viral hepatitis, and most of the infected infants have good outcome.</p>