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Clinical Course of Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection Is Not Influenced by Concurrent Hepatitis G Virus Infection

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Abstract

To determine the effects of hepatitis G virus(HGV) infection on chronic hepatitis C virus infection(HCV) and to evaluate HGV response to interferon, weinvestigated HGV RNA by polymerase chain reaction in 247 Japanese patients with chronic HCVinfection (166 men and 81 women; 124 had chronichepatitis and 26 cirrhosis, and 97 hepatocellularcarcinoma). HGV RNA was detectable in 22 (8.9%)patients, among whom 21 were men: this male predominance wasstatistically significant (P < 0.01). The re were nodifferences in age, aminotransferase level, stage ofliver disease, HCV RNA level by competitive polymerase chain reaction, genotype, or interferonresponse to HCV RNA between patients with HCV infectionalone or with HCV/HGV coinfection. Sustained eliminationof HGV RNA was found in 28.6% of the 14 treated patients with HCV/HGV coinfection. In the 14 treatedpatients, sustained elimination of both viruses was seenin two, HCV alone was eliminated in two, and HGV alonewas eliminated in two. Aminotransferase level improvement by interferon treatment wasassociated with clearance of HCV, but not of HGV. Thus,HGV infection had no apparent effects on HCV infection,and the sensitivity of HGV to interferon is comparable to but independent of HCV.

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Authors
  1. Jun Hayashi
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  2. Kumiko Ueno
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  3. Yasunobu Kawakami
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  4. Yasuhiro Kishihara
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  5. Iwao Ariyama
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  6. Norihiro Furusyo
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  7. Yasunori Sawayama
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  8. Yoshitaka Etoh
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  9. Seizaburo Kashiwagi
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Hayashi, J., Ueno, K., Kawakami, Y. et al. Clinical Course of Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection Is Not Influenced by Concurrent Hepatitis G Virus Infection. Dig Dis Sci 44, 618–623 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026677912187

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