PMID: 9531689Apr 9, 1998Paper

Significance of coinfection with hepatitis G virus for chronic hepatitis C--a review of the literature

Zeitschrift für Gastroenterologie
E G RambuschM P Manns

Abstract

The clinical significance of the recently discovered hepatitis C virus (HGV/GB virus C (GBV-C) is not conclusively clarified. The aim of this analysis was to evaluate the frequency of HGV/GBV-C coinfection at existing hepatitis C infection, the significance for the course of the liver disease, and its response to antiviral therapy. The literature available by medline and the PubMed Retrieval System as well as abstracts of recent German, European, and American conferences on liver diseases (GASL, EASL, ASSLU) concerning HCV/GBV-C-coinfection were analyzed. We identified 66 references with 5,388 patients suffering from HCV-infection. 941 (17.5%) were coinfected with GBV-C. Excluding some groups at risk (intravenous drug abusers, dialysis patients, patients after liver transplantation), the rate of coinfection varied significantly in respect to geography: 20.5% in European vs. 10.9% in Japan (p < 0.0001). Additionally, coinfection occurred in 38% of intravenous drug users. The studies showed that coinfection was related to the frequency of blood transfusions. Furthermore, the parenteral transmission route of GBV-C was generally confirmed. Overall GBV-C does not seem to have any negative influence on the course of HCV-related chron...Continue Reading

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