Prevalence and Significance of HGV/HGBV-C Infection in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease

• Main Authors: Cheng-Fu Yang, 楊正福
• Other Authors: Wen-Yu Chang
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 1999
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/72873302820618376653

碩士 === 高雄醫學院 === 醫學研究所 === 87 === Hepatitis G virus/GB virus-G (HGV/HGBV-C) is a newly identified flavivirus, and little is known about its clinical significance, Infection with HGV/HGBV-C was surveyed in 500 volunteer blood donors and 374 patients with chronic liver disease, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in southern Taiwan where hepatitis B and C are endemic. Methods: 　　HGV/HGBV-C RNA was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with primers from 5'-noncoding region. Anti-E2 antibody was detected with ELISA. HGV RNA and Anti-E2 Ab were studied in 500 volunteer blood donors and 130 patients with chronic hepatitis B, 173 with chronic hepatitis C, 27 with chronic hepatitis B and C, and 44 patients with non B non C hepatitis. 77 of them were diagnosed with liver cirrhosis and 87 patients had HCC. Results: HGV/HGBV-C RNA prevalence was 3.4% in volunteer blood donors and HGV/HGBV-C exposure rate was 10.1% in bood donors. The prevalence of HGV/HGBV-C RNA in chronic hepatitis B, C, B and C, non B non C were 7.7%, 17.3%, 18.5% and 22.7%. More HGV/HGBV-C was co-infected with HCV. The prevalence of HGV/HGBV-C infection in hepatitis B carrier increased with the severity of chronic liver disease and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. But the age of patients with chronic hepatitis B and duration of HBV infection may be the more important contributing factor for progress of liver disease and development of hepatocellular carcinoma. In chronic hepatitis C, clinical and virological data were comparable between those with and without coinfection. Seroconversion rate, HGV/HGBV-C RNA disappeared and anti-E2 Ab developed, was high in each group. HGV/HGBV-C RNA was detected in 22.7% of NBNC hepatitis patients. ALT level and pathological distribution were similar between infected and not infected group. Conclusions: 　　HGV/HGBV-C infection is common in Taiwan, especially in high-risk groups such as patients with chronic hepatitis B or C. Coinfection of HGV/HGBV-C with hepatitis virus B or C does not seem to accelerate of the progression of chronic liver disease and the development of HCC. Infection with HGV/HGBV-C in non B, non-C hepatitis would not be frequent and not be important. But influence of coinfection in chronic hepatitis needs long-term longitudinal studies.