HIGH PREVALENCE OF HEPATITIS-C IN EGYPTIAN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LIVER-DISEASE

The highest prevalence rates of hepatitis C virus infection in the wor ld have been recently reported among Egyptian blood donors and frequen t recipients of transfusions and other blood products. This is the fir st report, however, demonstrating hepatitis C as the most frequent ass ociation with chronic liver disease in Egypt. Of 1023 patients referre d to the Liver Institute in Menoufia governorate for evaluation of chr onic liver disease, 752 (73.5%) had antibodies to hepatitis C compared with 168 (16.4%) with hepatitis B surface antigen. Hepatitis C antibo dy was more common in patients with active schistosomiasis and patient s without hepatitis B surface antigenaemia. Of 100 patients having liv er biopsies, histological findings consistent with chronic viral hepat itis or its complications were found in 89 and antibody to hepatitis C was present in 75 (84.3%) of these patients with chronic hepatitis, a ctive cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. These data pointing to th e importance of hepatitis C as a cause of chronic liver disease in Egy pt emphasise the necessity of studies delineating its routes of transm ission in this country.