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The role of hepatitis C virus in chronic hepatitis B virus infection
W L Chuang1, W Y Chang, S N Lu
1Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical College, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Insights
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection accelerates chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) progression and increases hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk. Concurrent HCV and HBV infections significantly elevate HCC development in patients with chronic HBV.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Virology
- Oncology
Background:
- Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a global health concern.
- Hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection is common in HBV patients and may influence disease progression.
- Understanding viral interactions is crucial for managing liver disease and preventing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of HCV infection on patients with chronic HBV.
- To determine the prevalence of HCV infection in relation to liver damage severity.
- To elucidate the role of concurrent HBV and HCV infections in the pathogenesis of HCC.
Main Methods:
- Examined anti-HCV antibody presence in 420 chronic HBV patients and 275 healthy controls.
- Assessed HCV prevalence across different liver disease stages: healthy, asymptomatic carriers, chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and HCC.
- Analyzed viral marker (HBsAg, anti-HCV) co-occurrence in 128 HCC patients versus 384 controls.
Main Results:
- HCV infection prevalence increased with liver damage severity, reaching 12.1% in HCC patients.
- In HCC patients, 68.0% were HBsAg positive, 10.1% anti-HCV positive, and 9.4% positive for both.
- Simultaneous HBsAg and anti-HCV positivity significantly elevated HCC risk.
Conclusions:
- Concurrent HCV infection may accelerate chronic HBV progression.
- HCV coinfection is a significant contributing factor to HCC development in HBV patients.
- Early detection and management of HCV in HBV-infected individuals are vital for HCC prevention.
Abstract:
To investigate the influence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection on patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV), the presence of antibody against C100-3 antigen of HCV (anti-HCV) was examined in 420 patients with chronic HBV infection and 275 healthy subjects. It was found that the prevalence of HCV infection increased in parallel with the severity of liver damage. The positive rates of anti-HCV were as follows: healthy subjects, 2.9% (8/275); asymptomatic carriers, 2.6% (5/193); chronic hepatitis, 5.2% (3/58); liver cirrhosis, 11.4% (8/70); hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), 12.1% (12/99). To elucidate the interaction of these two viruses in hepatocellular carcinoma, 128 HCC patients and 384 age-matched and sex-matched subjects were further analyzed. Eighty-seven of 128 HCC patients (68.0%) were only positive for HBsAg, 13 patients (10.1%) were only anti-HCV positive, and 12 (9.4%) were positive for both markers. The presence of HBsAg and anti-HCV was associated strongly with HCC. Moreover, the risk of HCC was significantly higher when both HBsAg and anti-HCV were present simultaneously. These results suggested that concurrent HCV infection might accelerate the progression of chronic HBV infection and may contribute to the pathogenesis of HCC in patients with chronic HBV infection.