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Prevalence and Clinical Significance of Hepatitis G Virus Infection in Adult Beta-Thalassaemia Major Patients
- Source :
- British Journal of Haematology; June 1997, Vol. 97 Issue: 4 p904-907, 4p
- Publication Year :
- 1997
-
Abstract
- The risk of polytransfused patients for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is likely to extend to another recently identified member of the Flaviviridae, hepatitis G virus (HGV). We investigated the prevalence of HGV in 40 adult Italian patients with transfusion-dependent thalassaemia and evaluated the clinical significance of HGV infection. HGV-RNA was detected in 9/40 patients (22.5%). HGV infection was significantly associated with HCV viraemia ( P =0.0012), with all patients positive for HGV being also viraemic for HCV. Overall, the clinical picture of patients with HCV/HGV co-infection was not different from that of patients with isolated HCV. However, patients co-infected with both viruses had lower values of alanine-transferase ( P =0035) and a lower titre of HCV viraemia ( P =0042) in the absence of other evident factors which could influence the clinical expression of HCV infection. In conclusion, HGV is highly prevalent among Italian polytransfused patients. No evidence of a clinically significant pathogenic role for HGV in liver disease could be found in these patients. In a subset of cases a possible interference of HGV with HCV infection was observed.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00071048 and 13652141
- Volume :
- 97
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- Supplemental Index
- Journal :
- British Journal of Haematology
- Publication Type :
- Periodical
- Accession number :
- ejs4906912
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2141.1997.1402955.x