Detection of serum antibody against hepatitis C virus in patients with hepatitis and liver diseases]

Antibody against hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) was tested in 658 cases of hepatitis and liver diseases with ELISA, ninety of these cases were positive, with a total infection rate of 13.68% (90/658). The positive rate of anti-HCV was highest in patients with chronic severe hepatitis (33.78%) and CAH accompanied by cirrhosis of liver(31.58%). The infection rate in other types of hepatic diseases in order of frequency was as follows: fulminant hepatitis (18.18%), CAH without cirrhosis (15.13%), subacute severe hepatitis (13.43%), CPH (5.88%), primary hepatocellular carcinoma (3.85%), and acute hepatitis (2.42%). Serological markers of HBV infection were detectable concomitantly in 77 of the 90 cases who were anti-HCV positive, but there was no evidence of mutual inhibition of viral replication. There was neither appreciable difference in the level of hyperbilirubinemia in cases of hepatitis with or without anti-HCV, nor significant diversity in the number of death between cases of severe hepatitis with and without anti-HCV.