CHRONIC LIVER-DISEASE IN PERU - ROLE OF VIRAL-HEPATITIS

The prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) was deter mined in 105 patients with biopsy-proven chronic liver disease and 128 comparison patients without any evidence of liver pathology living in Lima, Peru. Using a secend-generation EIA screening and supplemental immunoblot assay, anti-HCV was detected in four of 13 patients with ch ronic hepatitis, in 11% of 85 patients with cirrhosis, and in none of seven patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Only two (1.6%) comparis on patients without liver disease had anti-HCV. Hepatitis 8 surface an tigen (HBsAg) was found in 23% of patients with chronic hepatitis, 12% of patients with cirrhosis, and three of seven patients with hepatoce llular carcinoma. There was no evidence of chronic viral hepatitis or alcohol abuse (reported by one-third of subjects) in 48% of chronic li ver disease patients. These preliminary data suggest that among this S outh American population neither hepatitis B nor hepatitis C infection is the predominate cause of chronic liver disease and that other infe ctious or environmental factors may be important, (C) 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.