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Hepatitis C virus infection: its role in chronic liver diseases
Insights
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is present in 4% of chronic liver disease patients. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is more prevalent and plays a larger role in causing chronic hepatitis in China.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Virology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Chronic liver diseases pose a significant health burden globally.
- Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C virus (HCV) are major causes of chronic liver disease.
- Understanding the prevalence and interplay of HBV and HCV is crucial for public health strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among patients with chronic liver diseases.
- To compare the prevalence of HCV with Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in this cohort.
- To investigate the relationship between HCV and HBV co-infection in chronic liver disease patients.
Main Methods:
- ELISA, RIBA, and RT-PCR were employed to detect HCV antibodies and RNA.
- HBsAg and HBV-DNA were tested to assess HBV infection status.
- A cohort of 410 patients with chronic liver disease was analyzed.
Main Results:
- The prevalence of HCV infection was found to be 4% in the studied population.
- Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection was highly prevalent, with HBsAg positive in 69% and HBV-DNA positive in 58% of cases.
- No statistically significant difference in HCV infection rates was observed between HBsAg positive and negative patients.
Conclusions:
- Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a more dominant cause of chronic hepatitis than Hepatitis C virus (HCV) in this Chinese cohort.
- The findings underscore the importance of focusing on preventive and therapeutic strategies for Hepatitis B in China.
- Public health initiatives should prioritize HBV control due to its higher impact on chronic liver disease.
Abstract:
In order to find out the infectious rate of hepatitis C virus (HCV) among chronic liver diseases, we investigated antibodies against hepatitis C virus and HCVRNA by method of ELISA, RIBA and RT-PCR in 410 patients with chronic liver disease. The prevalence of HCV infection was found to be 4%. Whereas the positive rate of HBsAg and HBV-DNA of these cases was 69% and 58%, respectively. There is no statistical significance between HCV infectious rate of patients with positive and negative HBsAg. The relative low infectious rate of HCV infection among chronic hepatic diseases indicates that HBV infection plays a more important role in causing chronic hepatitis than that of HCV. Thus, special emphasis should be paid to the preventive and therapeutic measures against hepatitis B in China.