HEPATITIS-G VIRUS COINFECTION IN CHRONIC HEPATITIS-B AND HEPATITIS-C PATIENTS IN POLAND

This study evaluated the epidemiology and impact of hepatitis G virus (HGV) infection in patients with chronic hepatitis B and C. Serum samp les were obtained from 128 consecutive untreated patients with chronic hepatitis B (72 cases) or C (56 cases), The presence of HGV RNA was d etermined by PCR amplification of the 5'untranslated region; the sensi tivity of the assays was ten template copy equivalents, The prevalence of HGV RNA in hepatitis B and C was found to be 25% and 34%, respecti vely. HGV-positive and HGV-negative patients did not differ with respe ct to risk factors for infection, age, sex, or alanine aminotransferas e activity. Similarly, there was no difference in the severity of live r disease, as assessed with HAI score, Ln conclusion, we found a very high prevalence of HGV infection in chronic hepatitis B and C patients in Poland, Nevertheless, no evidence was found that HGV coinfection h as any impact on the severity of the underlying disease.