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Abstract Details
High Prevalence of Occult Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection
Castillo I, Bartolomé J, Quiroga JA, Carreño V. J Med Microbiol. 2013 May 2. [Epub ahead of print]
Source
Fundación Estudio Hepatitis Virales.
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in the absence of detectable antibodies against HCV and of viral RNA in serum is called occult HCV infection. Its prevalence and clinical significance in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is unknown. HCV-RNA was tested in the liver samples of 52 patients with chronic HBV infection and 21 (40%) of them were positive for viral RNA (occult HCV infection). Liver fibrosis was found more frequently and the fibrosis score was significantly higher in patients with occult HCV than in negative ones, suggesting that occult HCV infection may have an impact on the clinical course of HBV infection.