ABSTRACT
Sera obtained from 381 patients with chronic liver disease from four cities within the USSR were studied for HBV, HDV, and HCV markers of infection. Anti-HCV activity was detected in 41.2% of non-A, non-B cases. The etiological distribution of chronic hepatitis in Moscow and Dushanbe was similar with an approximate 20% prevalence for HBV, HDV, and HCV infections, whereas in Yakutsk 40% of cases were caused by HDV infections. The etiology of disease remained unrecognized in approximately 40% of patients with chronic liver disease in Moscow and Dushanbe and in 15% in Yakutsk. Anti-HCV activity was detected in 18.8% of patients with chronic HBV infections and in 8.3% of patients with chronic HDV infections. Anti-HCV activity was detected in 41% of patients without markers of HBV or HDV infections. The reasons for the observed differences in HCV prevalence among patients chronically infected with HDV are discussed.
