HEPATITIS-G VIRUS - IS IT A HEPATITIS-VIRUS

Hepatitis G virus (HGV) and GB virus C (GBV-C) are two newly discovere d viral agents, different isolates of a positive-sense RNA virus that represents a new genus of Flaviviridae, The purpose of this review is to analyze new data that have recently been published on the epidemiol ogy and associations between HCV and liver diseases such as posttransf usion hepatitis, acute and chronic non-A-E hepatitis, fulminant hepati tis, cryptogenic cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma, The role of HGV in coinfection with other hepatitis viruses, the response to antiv iral therapy, and the impact of HGV on liver transplantation are also discussed, HCV is a transmissible blood-borne viral agent that frequen tly occurs as a coinfection with other hepatitis viruses due to common modes of transmission, The prevalence of HCV ranges from 0.9 to 10% a mong blood donors throughout the world and is found in 1.7% of volunte er blood donors in the United States, The majority of patients infecte d with HCV by blood transfusion do not develop chronic hepatitis, but hepatitis C viremia frequently persists without biochemical evidence o f hepatitis. Serum HCV RNA has been found in 0 to 50% of patients with fulminant hepatitis of unknown etiology and 14 to 36% of patients wit h cryptogenic cirrhosis, The association between HCV and chronic non-A -E hepatitis remains unclear, Although HGV appears to be a hepatotroph ic virus, its role in independently causing acute and chronic liver di seases remains uncertain.