Prevalence and characteristics of anti-HCV positivity and chronic hepatitis C virus infection in HFE p.C282Y homozygotes.

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: Observations of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in adults with hemochromatosis are limited. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We determined associations of serum ferritin (SF) with anti-HCV in non-Hispanic white North American adults in a post-screening examination. Cases included p.C282Y homozygotes (regardless of screening transferrin saturation (TS) and SF) and participants (regardless of HFE genotype) with high screening TS/SF. Controls included participants without p.C282Y or p.H63D who had normal screening TS/SF. Participants with elevated alanine aminotransferase underwent anti-HCV testing. We determined prevalence of chronic HCV infection in consecutive Alabama and Ontario referred adults with HFE p.C282Y homozygosity. RESULTS: In post-screening participants, anti-HCV prevalence was 0.3% [95% CI: 0.02, 2.2] in 294 p.C282Y homozygotes, 9.5% [7.2, 12.3] in 560 Cases without p.C282Y homozygosity, and 0.7% [0.2, 2.3] in 403 Controls. Anti-HCV was detected in 7.2% of 745 participants with and 0.8% of 512 participants without elevated SF (odds ratio 9.9 [3.6, 27.6]; p<0.0001). Chronic HCV infection prevalence in 961 referred patients was 1.0% (10/961) [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.5, 2.0]. Ten patients with chronic HCV infection had median age 45y (range 29-67) and median SF 1163µg/L (range 303-2001). Five of eight (62.5%) patients had biopsy-proven cirrhosis. CONCLUSIONS: Odds ratio of anti-HCV was increased in post-screening participants with elevated SF. Prevalence of anti-HCV in post-screening participants with HFE p.C282Y homozygosity and chronic HCV infection in referred adults with HFE p.C282Y homozygosity in North America is similar to that of Control participants with HFE wt/wt and normal screening TS/SF.

Hepatitis crónica en pacientes, donantes o no de sangre, con anticuerpo al virus de la hepatitis C positivo / Chronic Hepatitis in Donors and Non-Blood Donors with Positive Antibodies to the Virus C

Introducción: la infección por el virus de la hepatitis C (VHC), problema de salud mundial, es una de las principales causas de hepatitis crónica y cirrosis hepática. Objetivo: identificar si existen diferencias en la frecuencia de presentación de la hepatitis crónica y sus características clínicas, humorales e histopatológicas, entre donantes y no donantes de sangre con anticuerpos al VHC (anti-VHC) positivo. Métodos: el universo de estudio estuvo compuesto por la totalidad de pacientes con anti-VHC positivo, diagnosticado por ultramicroelisa en el Banco Provincial de Sangre, atendidos entre enero 2000-diciembre 2011, en una Consulta Especializada del Hospital General Universitario Vladimir Ilich Lenin de Holguín. Se realizó biopsia hepática a los pacientes. Se seleccionaron dos muestras intencionadas de pacientes con diagnóstico de hepatitis crónica, grupo estudio, 46 donantes y grupo control, 17 no donantes, sin antígeno de superficie del virus B o tratamiento previo de interferón y ribavirina. Resultados: la hepatitis crónica fue mayor (P<0,05) en el grupo control, con formas activas más severas con o sin fibrosis (P<0,001), y alaninoaminotransferasas (ALAT) alteradas (p<0,001), a diferencia del grupo estudio con predominio de hepatitis con actividad ligera o mínima y ALAT normales. Los donantes sintomáticos fueron minoría a diferencia (p<0,001) de los no donantes, 82% con síntomas, en orden decreciente: astenia (14), molestia en hipocondrio derecho (12) y dispepsia (7). Conclusiones: la menor frecuencia de hepatitis crónica con anti-VHC positivo, en los donantes de sangre, con predominio de la actividad mínima y ligera, pudiera deberse al diagnóstico precoz en etapas iníciales de la enfermedad. Los donantes asintomáticos con transaminasas normales preponderaron, sobre los no donantes, lo que pudiera corresponderse con la magnitud de la actividad y el estadio de la hepatitis crónica en aquellos.

Introduction: the hepatitis C virus infection, problem of worldwide health is one of the main causes of chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis. Objective: to identify whether there are differences in the frequency of occurrence of chronic hepatitis and their clinical characteristics, humoral and pathological, between donors and non-blood donors with antibodies to HCV (anti-HCV) positive Methods: the study group comprised all patients with anti-HCV positive, diagnosed by ultramicroelisa in Provincial Blood Bank, treated from January 2000 to December 2011, in General University Hospital Vladimir Ilich Lenin of Holguin. Liver biopsy was performed to patients. Two intentional samples were selected: patients diagnosed with chronic hepatitis study group and control group 46 donors, 17 non-blood donors without virus surface antigen pretreatment B or interferon and ribavirin. Results: chronic hepatitis was higher (P <0.05) in the control group, with more active forms with or without severe fibrosis (P <0.001), and alaninoaminotransferasas (ALAT) altered (p <0.001), unlike the study group prevalence of hepatitis with mild activity or minimal and normal ALAT. Donors were minority symptomatic difference (p <0.001) than non-donors, 82% with symptoms, in decreasing order: asthenia (14), right upper quadrant discomfort (12) and dyspepsia (7). Conclusions: the lower frequency of chronic hepatitis with positive HCV in blood donors, predominantly minimal to slight activity, could be due to early diagnosis in early stages of the disease. Asymptomatic donors with normal transaminases predominated on non-donors, which could correspond to the magnitude of the activity and stage of chronic hepatitis those ones.

Hepatitis C aguda: Acute hepatitis C

La hepatitis C aguda es una enfermedad generalmente subclínica, de ahí que no se incluya en el diagnóstico diferencial de los pacientes con un cuadro agudo. Además diagnosticarla presenta dificultades ya que los anticuerpos contra el virus tardan en aparecer, pudiendo ser negativos cuando el paciente manifiesta los síntomas; en este punto la enfermedad podría diagnosticarse con el RNA viral, pero éste no es fácil que sea solicitado inicialmente. Se presenta un paciente que ingresó por una hepatitis aguda en el que se descartaron causas virales como hepatitis A-B, Ebstein Barr, Citomegalovirus (CMV) hepatitis autoinmune, hepatotoxicidad y enfermedad hipoxicoisquémica, que explicaran la sintomatología y los hallazgos bioquímicos del paciente, en quien se demostró seroconversión contra el virus de la hepatitis C asociado a una carga viral elevada. Todo lo anterior es consistente con un diagnóstico de hepatitis C aguda. Se describe el manejo del paciente y las características de la enfermedad.

Acute hepatitis C is usually a sub-clinical disease, thus it is not included in the differential diagnosis of patients with acute disease. Making the diagnosis is also difficult because the virus antibodies appear at later stages and many even be negative even if the patient has symptoms; at this point the diagnosis of the disease could be made with the viral RNA, but it is not easy to ask for it initially. A patient is admitted because of acute hepatitis where viral causes such as hepatitis A-B, Epstein Barr, Cytomegalovirus (CMV), auto-immune hepatitis, hepatoxitiy and hypoxic-isquemic disease, that would explain the symptoms and bio-chemical findings were discarded. The patient’s seroconversion against Hepatitis C virus associated to a high viral load was demonstrated. All this is consistent with an acute Hepatitis C diagnosis. Patient’s management and disease characteristics are described. (Acta Med Colomb 2008; 33: 28-32).

Soroprevalência da hepatite C em pacientes hemodialisados / Hepatitis C serum prevalence in hemodialyzed patients

Os objetivos deste estudo foram estimar a soroprevalência da infecção pelo vírus da hepatite C em um centro de diálise da grande Recife; e associar a soropositividade para o vírus da hepatite C em relação a alguns fatores de risco. Foram analisados 250 pacientes com idade variando de 17 a 92 anos e de ambos os sexos. Dados epidemiológicos desses pacientes foram obtidos para a determinação dos fatores de riscos para esta infecção. A pesquisa de anticorpos anti-HCV foi realizada pelo ELISA de 4ª geração. Foi observado que em relação aos fatores de riscos, como o tempo de hemodiálise, número e período das transfusões de hemocomponentes, foi encontrada uma associação estatisticamente significante (p< 0,05). A prevalência encontrada foi baixa (8,4 por cento) em relação a outros estudos do Brasil. Entretanto, seriam necessários mais estudos em outros centros a fim de estimar a real prevalência para infecção pelo vírus da hepatite C em pacientes submetidos a hemodiálise em Pernambuco.

The objectives of this study were to estimate the serum prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in a dialysis center in the greater Recife region, and to correlate HCV serum positivity with some risk factors. Analyses were performed on 250 patients of both sexes, with ages ranging from 17 to 92 years old. Epidemiological data on these patients were obtained in order to determine the risk factors for this infection. Anti-HCV antibodies were investigated using fourth-generation ELISA. Statistically significant associations (p < 0.05) were observed in relation to the risk factors of hemodialysis duration, number of blood component transfusions and time taken for transfusions. The prevalence was low (8.4 percent) in relation to other Brazilian studies. However, more studies in other centers are needed in order to estimate the real prevalence of HCV infection among patients undergoing hemodialysis in the State of Pernambuco.