Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation, Vol 13, Issue 8 2033-2036, Copyright © 1998 by Oxford University Press
A Shibuya, A Takeuchi, K Kamata, K Saigenji, N Kobayashi and A Yoshida
Background. Patients on maintenance haemodialysis (HD)
are at greater risk of parenterally transmitted infection with not only A-E
hepatitis virus but also with hepatitis G virus (HGV) that has been
recovered from patients with non A-E hepatitis. The prevalance of HGV
infections in HD patients, which is based on the detection of HGV RNA using
reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction techniques, differs widely
between countries. Recently, a new assay has been developed that detects an
antibody to the envelope protein (E2) of HGV (anti-E2) that appears to be
associated with the loss of HGV RNA from the serum and which may be a
useful marker for previous HGV infection. Methods. To
determine the actual prevalence of HGV infection in maintenance HD
patients, we examined both HGV RNA and anti-E2 antibody in sera from 200
patients undergoing maintenance HD. Results. Thirty
patients (15%) tested positive for HGV RNA, and 14 (7%) tested positive for
E2 antibody. Of these, two individuals tested positive for both markers.
Overall, 21% of these HD patients had been exposed to HGV. A logistic
regression analysis failed to show any clinical feature associated with the
detection of HGV RNA. The duration of HD and the presence of HCV RNA were
associated with anti-E2. Male gender and HCV RNA were risk factors for the
elevation of serum ALT activities. HGV RNA sequences of the patients were
not identical to each other. Conclusions. Our data
indicate that HGV infection is prevalent in patients undergoing HD, but
that liver abnormalities are rare. The nosocomial transmission of HGV in
the HD unit was not confirmed. Keywords: anti-E2
antibody; GB virus C; haemodialysis; hepatitis G virus; logistic regression
analysis; non A-E hepatitis
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Prevalence of hepatitis G virus RNA and anti-E2 in a Japanese haemodialysis population
Department of Internal Medicine, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Japan; Sagami Junkanki Clinic, Kanagawa, Japan; Correspondence to: A Shibuya, Department of Internal Medicine, Kitasato University School of Medicine, 1-15-1 Kitasato, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 228-0828, Japan
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