N. Ueno et al., HIGH-RATE OF HEPATITIS-C VIRUS TRANSMISSION TO SPOUSES FROM HEPATITISPATIENTS WITH A HISTORY OF TRANSFUSION, HEPATOLOGY RESEARCH, 2(5), 1994, pp. 250-256
Spouses of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-viremic chronic hepatitis patients
were tested for antibodies to the core region-derived synthetic oligop
eptides and for antibodies detectable by the second-generation enzyme
immunoassay, and HCV RNA was determined in those who were positive for
at least one of the above antibodies (anti-HCV). The prevalences of a
nti-HCV and HCV RNA were both significantly higher in 37 spouses of pa
tients with a history of transfusion than in 55 spouses of patients wi
th no such history: 49% vs. 16% for anti-HCV (P < 0.01) and 41% vs. 5%
for HCV RNA (P < 0.05). Anti-HCV was detected in 11 (65%) of 17 spous
es who had been married longer than 30 years since the patients receiv
ed the transfusion, with an incidence significantly higher than in fou
r (20%) of 20 spouses with exposure durations less than 30 years (P <
0.001), and HCV RNA was positive in 11 (65%) of the formers, the incid
ence being significantly greater than in four (20%) of the latter (P <
0.05). HCV-infected patients, in particular with a history of blood t
ransfusion, are thus possible HCV transmission sources for their spous
es, with the risk increasing with the duration of marriage, pointing t
o a need for follow-up not only for posttransfusion hepatitis C patien
ts, but also for early diagnosis and treatment of their spouses.