[Anti-HCV antibody and hemolytic complement activity in sera from alcoholic patients]

We examined the association of complement activation at a low temperature in vitro with hepatitis C virus infection in alcoholic patients. The incidence of cold activation among these patients was 4.1%, which was higher than the reported incidence of 1.7% among general patients consulting a hospital, and that of 0.5% among donors for blood transfusion. In any population, most cases that showed cold activation were HCV antibody positive. The difference between the incidence of cold activation among HCV antibody positive cases in alcohol high consumers (6/21) and that in control patients (42/103) was regarded as nonsignificant. The higher incidence of cold activation among alcoholic patients may not directly associate with high alcohol consumption and may associate with higher incidence of HCV infection among the group.