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Published on: February 19, 2019
Thirteen to twenty-seven-year follow-up of patients with hepatitis C while transfusing or donating plasma
Hui-Ying Rao1, Lai Wei, Jing-Min Zhao
1Peking University People's Hospital, Peking University Hepatology Institute, Xizhimen South Street No. 11, Beijing 100044, PR China.
Insights
Long-term follow-up of hepatitis C patients in North China reveals mild to moderate liver disease. Persistent HCV RNA and elevated ALT indicate chronic infection, but severe outcomes appear uncommon.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Virology
- Clinical Medicine
Background:
- Hepatitis C virus (HCV) affects 170 million globally, with 3.2% in China.
- Investigating clinical and histological outcomes in North China is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the long-term clinical outcomes and liver histology in North Chinese patients with hepatitis C.
- To correlate biochemical markers, viral load, and histological findings.
Main Methods:
- Follow-up of nine hepatitis C patients (4 males, 5 females; aged 44±7 years) for 13-27 years.
- Liver biopsy, ultrasonography, ALT, AST, total bilirubin, serum anti-HCV (ELISA), and HCV RNA (PCR) were assessed.
- Histological activity index (HAI) and fibrosis scores were evaluated.
Main Results:
- All patients had persistently positive HCV RNA (3.57 x 10^5 - 7.21 x 10^6 copies/mL) and elevated ALT.
- Ultrasonography indicated mild (3 cases) or moderate (6 cases) hepatitis.
- Higher ALT correlated with moderate hepatitis and higher HAI; genotype 1b showed higher viral load than genotype 2.
Conclusions:
- Hepatitis C patients in North China exhibit generally mild to moderate liver disease.
- Long-term infection is characterized by persistent viremia and elevated ALT.
- Histological findings suggest limited disease severity in this cohort.
Background/Aims:
Hepatitis C virus is a hepatotrophic flavivirus infecting 170 million people worldwide and 3.2% people in China. We aim to investigate the clinical outcomes and hepatic histology of patients with hepatitis C in the north of China.
Methodology:
Nine patients with hepatitis C, 4 males and 5 females, aged 44 +/- 7 years old, who were infected during transfusion or blood donation underwent follow-up for 13-27 years. We performed liver histological examination by biopsy, ultrasonography, and biochemical examination of alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase, and total bilirubin. The serum anti-HCV was detected by ELISA, and HCV RNA quantification by PCR.
Results:
ALT were higher than the normal value at every time point and HCV RNA remained positive (3.57 x 10(5) - 7.21 x 10(6) copies/mL) in all patients. Ultrasonography showed mild and moderated hepatitis (3 and 6 cases respectively). The modified histological activity indices (HAI) were 5.0-8.5 and fibrosis scores were 1-4. The ALT value was higher in the moderate cases than in the mild cases, and higher in those with higher HAI. The viral load was higher in the patients infected by the virus of the genotype 1b than in the patients infected by the virus of genotype 2.
Conclusions:
The clinical outcomes and hepatic histology of patients with hepatitis C in north of China seem not very severe.
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