ABSENCE OF HEPATITIS-C VIRUS IN BRITISH PATIENTS WITH TYPE-1 AUTOIMMUNE CHRONIC ACTIVE HEPATITIS - A POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION AND SEROLOGICAL STUDY

Despite several studies from continental Europe reporting a high preva lence of antibodies to the hepatitis C virus (HCV), there has been lit tle evidence of such infection in patients from the United Kingdom. Th e use of the polymerase chain reaction combined with two separate seco nd generation anti-HCV assays is reported here in 58 UK patients with well-documented autoimmune chronic active hepatitis. All patients were in corticosteroid induced remission. All sera were collected prospect ively for the specific purpose of this study. HCV-RNA was not detected by use of the polymerase chain reaction in any of the patients and an tibodies to HCV were only detected in one patient. No evidence was fou nd for the involvement of the hepatitis C virus in UK patients with cl assical, corticosteroid sensitive autoimmune chronic active hepatitis.