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Hepatitis G virus coinfection in chronic hepatitis B and C patients in Poland
M Radkowski1, W Stańczak, B Walewska-Zielecka
1Institute of Infectious Diseases, Warsaw, Poland.
Insights
Hepatitis G virus (HGV) is highly prevalent in Polish patients with chronic hepatitis B and C. Coinfection with HGV does not appear to worsen liver disease severity in these patients.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Virology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Chronic hepatitis B and C are significant global health concerns.
- Hepatitis G virus (HGV) is an emerging viral infection with an unclear clinical impact.
- Understanding HGV prevalence and its effect on co-infections is crucial for patient management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of Hepatitis G virus (HGV) RNA in patients with chronic hepatitis B and C in Poland.
- To evaluate the impact of HGV co-infection on the severity of liver disease in these patients.
Main Methods:
- Serum samples from 128 untreated patients with chronic hepatitis B (n=72) or C (n=56) were analyzed.
- HGV RNA detection was performed using PCR amplification of the 5' untranslated region with high sensitivity.
- Liver disease severity was assessed using the Histological Activity Index (HAI) score.
Main Results:
- The prevalence of HGV RNA was 25% in chronic hepatitis B patients and 34% in chronic hepatitis C patients.
- No significant differences were observed in risk factors, age, sex, or alanine aminotransferase levels between HGV-positive and HGV-negative groups.
- HGV co-infection did not correlate with increased liver disease severity based on HAI scores.
Conclusions:
- A high prevalence of Hepatitis G virus infection was found in chronic hepatitis B and C patients in Poland.
- HGV co-infection does not appear to influence the severity of underlying chronic hepatitis B or C.
- Further research may be needed to elucidate the long-term implications of HGV in liver disease.
Abstract:
This study evaluated the epidemiology and impact of hepatitis G virus (HGV) infection in patients with chronic hepatitis B and C. Serum samples were obtained from 128 consecutive untreated patients with chronic hepatitis B (72 cases) or C (56 cases). The presence of HGV RNA was determined by PCR amplification of the 5'untranslated region; the sensitivity of the assays was ten template copy equivalents. The prevalence of HGV RNA in hepatitis B and C was found to be 25% and 34%, respectively. HGV-positive and HGV-negative patients did not differ with respect to risk factors for infection, age, sex, or alanine aminotransferase activity. Similarly, there was no difference in the severity of liver disease, as assessed with HAI score. In conclusion, we found a very high prevalence of HGV infection in chronic hepatitis B and C patients in Poland. Nevertheless, no evidence was found that HGV coinfection has any impact on the severity of the underlying disease.