[Chronic hepatitis C. Experience with 50 patients]

Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen. 1992 Sep 30;112(23):2953-7.
[Article in Norwegian]

Abstract

We studied 50 patients (36 males and 14 females) with chronic hepatitis C who were admitted consecutively to our medical department during the period 1987-91. Eight patients (16%) had had a blood transfusion, 17 (34%) had used intravenous drugs and 25 (50%) were "sporadic cases" with no identifiable risk factor except that at least five had been tattooed. Most of the patients had moderate symptoms, including tiredness and asthenia. Few were jaundiced. A percutaneous liver biopsy was performed in 27 patients and showed chronic persistent hepatitis in 12 of them, chronic active hepatitis in six and cirrhosis in nine. Three patients with cirrhosis died; one from hepatoma, one from an endstage cirrhosis with bleeding and coma hepaticum, and one from septicaemia.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Alcoholism / complications
  • Female
  • Hepacivirus / genetics
  • Hepacivirus / immunology
  • Hepatitis C* / diagnosis
  • Hepatitis C* / etiology
  • Hepatitis C* / immunology
  • Hepatitis, Chronic* / diagnosis
  • Hepatitis, Chronic* / etiology
  • Hepatitis, Chronic* / immunology
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Substance Abuse, Intravenous / complications
  • Transfusion Reaction