HEPATITIS-G VIRUS-INFECTION IN CHRONIC LIVER-DISEASE

Background-The hepatitis G virus (HGV), a recently identified member o f the Flaviviridae family, can cause chronic infection in man but the role of this agent in chronic liver disease is poorly understood. Aims -To evaluate the prevalence and meaning of HGV infection in a large se ries of patients with chronic liver disease. Subjects-Two hundred volu nteer blood donors, 179 patients with chronic hepatitis C, 111 with ch ronic hepatitis B, 104 with alcoholic liver disease, 136 with hepatoce llular carcinoma, and 24 with cryptogenic chronic liver disease were s tudied. Methods-HGV RNA was investigated in serum samples by reverse t ranscription and polymerase chain reaction amplification of the 5' non -coding region of HCV and hybridisation to a specific probe. The main features of HGV RNA seropositive and seronegative patients were compar ed. Results-The prevalence of HGV infection was 3% in blood donors, 7% in chronic hepatitis C, 8% in chronic hepatitis B, 2% in alcoholic li ver disease, 4% in hepatocellular carcinoma, and 8% in cryptogenic chr onic liver disease. HGV infected patients tended to be younger than no ninfected patients but no differences concerning sex, possible source of infection, clinical manifestations, biochemical and virological par ameters, or severity of liver lesions were found. Conclusions-The prev alence of HGV infection in chronic liver disease seems to be relativel y low in our area. Infection with HGV does not seem to play a signific ant pathogenic role in patients with chronic liver disease related to chronic HBV or HCV infection or to increased alcohol consumption, or i n those with cryptogenic chronic liver disease.