Prevalence of antibody to hepatitis C in patients with liver disease.

We studied the seroprevalence of antibody to hepatitis C virus (HCV) in patients with liver disease using the Abbott HCV EIA. Twenty-four patients with acute sporadic nonA nonB hepatitis, 19 patients with chronic hepatitis, 28 patients with cirrhosis and 47 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were assayed. The seroprevalence was 8.3% (2/24) in acute hepatitis; 10.5% (2/19) in chronic hepatitis; 3.6% (1/28) in cirrhosis and 14.9% (7/47) in hepatocellular carcinoma. The seroprevalence rates were lower in all categories of liver disease compared to figures reported in developed countries. Possible reasons included a delayed or missed seroconversion in the acute hepatitis group. Other etiologies like hepatitis B and alcohol may play a more important role in chronic liver disease. On the other hand, the seroprevalence locally may actually be low. Sporadic, non-blood transfusion appears to be a common method of acquiring the infection.