HCV INFECTION IN EGYPTIAN PATIENTS WITH ACUTE HEPATITIS

The diagnostics of community-acquired acute HCV hepatitis in an endemi c area was studied in 110 Egyptian patients with acute jaundice. In th e first week of the jaundiced period 30 of 110 patients (27.3%) had an ti-HCV antibodies. The majority already showed high levels of anti-HCV IgG (25/30), associated with anti-HCV IgM in nine of them. Five patie nts showed only an HCV IgM reactivity, Seven had also anti-HEV and/or anti-HBV: their jaundice could then be related to an acute infection c aused by those viruses. All patients were infected with genotype 4a, i n three associated with the 3a. During the follow-up five patients ser oconverted for IgG, while their anti-HCV IgM did not show a uniform pa ttern of reactivity. Patients with positive serology suspected of an a cute HCV infection were older than the patients with other acute hepat itis and showed a lower peak of ALT level, Seroconversion during acute hepatitis strongly indicated HCV as the etiologic agent. However, the detection of anti-HCV IgG antibodies in the jaundiced period showed t hat the majority of patients had already seroconverted to anti-HCV ant ibodies; in most of them it is possible to hypothesize a reactivation of a chronic HCV infection.