Loading...
Occasionally, individuals with hepatitis B disease lack both hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibody to HBsAg (anti-HBs). Given that the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) are transmitted similarly, how often does this occult HBV infection occur in patients with HCV infection? This Italian study shows that co-infection is, in fact, relatively common and linked to more severe hepatic disease than that caused by HCV infection alone.
Analysis for HBV DNA was performed on liver biopsy specimens from 200 consecutive HCV-infected patients, 100 of whom had antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc-positive), and from 50 patients who were negative for HCV and HBsAg markers. None of the patients used intravenous drugs…