Bortolotti F, Resti M, Giacchino R, Crivellaro C, Zancan L, Azzari C, Gussetti N, Tasso L, Faggion S
Clinica Medica 5, University of Padua, Italy.
J Pediatr. 1998 Sep;133(3):378-81. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(98)70273-2.
To evaluate the epidemiologic features of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in children.
All 106 children with chronic HCV infection consecutively observed in 3 Italian pediatric centers between 1991 and 1997 entered the study.
Fifteen children had a history of non-A, non-B hepatitis, and 5 complained of nonspecific symptoms. The 86 remaining patients were free of symptoms and were recruited after HCV screening for intercurrent diseases, maternal infection, or other putative exposure; 39% (none of 30 children born after 1990) had received transfusions, whereas 44%, had a mother with HCV infection. Of the 47 infected mothers, 36% were or had been intravenous drug users, 15% had received transfusions, and 45% had no history of exposure.
Children with chronic HCV infection are often free of symptoms, and thus HCV screening for putative risk has greatly increased the chances of diagnosis. Vertical transmission seems to now be the most common route of infection. Both current and past maternal intravenous drug abuse are risk factors for pediatric infection; however, in an area with relatively high prevalence of anti-HCV in the general population such as Italy, a consistent proportion of infectious mothers have no risk factors of HCV exposure.
评估儿童慢性丙型肝炎病毒（HCV）感染的流行病学特征。
1991年至1997年期间在3个意大利儿科中心连续观察的106例慢性HCV感染儿童纳入本研究。
15名儿童有非甲非乙型肝炎病史，5名主诉有非特异性症状。其余86例患者无症状，是在HCV筛查并发疾病、母亲感染或其他假定暴露后招募的；39%（1990年后出生的30名儿童中无）曾接受输血，而44%的母亲有HCV感染。在47名感染母亲中，36%是或曾是静脉吸毒者，15%曾接受输血，45%无暴露史。
慢性HCV感染儿童通常无症状，因此对假定风险进行HCV筛查大大增加了诊断机会。垂直传播似乎是目前最常见的感染途径。目前和过去母亲静脉吸毒都是儿童感染的危险因素；然而，在意大利这样普通人群中抗-HCV患病率相对较高的地区，相当一部分感染母亲没有HCV暴露的危险因素。
