Risk Factors and Outcome among a Large Patient Cohort with Community-Acquired Acute Hepatitis C in Italy

Background The epidemiology of acute hepatitis C has changed during the past decade in Western countries. Acute HCV infection has a high rate of chronicity, but it is unclear when patients with acute infection should be treated. Methods To evaluate current sources of hepatitis C virus (HCV) transmission in Italy and to assess the rate of and factors associated with chronic infection, we enrolled 214 consecutive patients with newly acquired hepatitis C during 1999-2004. The patients were from 12 health care centers throughout the country, and they were followed up for a mean (+/- SD) period of 14+/-15.8 months. Biochemical liver tests were performed, and HCV RNA levels were monitored. Result…

HIV/HCV co-infection: putting the pieces of the puzzle together

The most relevant consequence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is the exposure of the patient to opportunistic agents. In addition, HIV may also modify the natural history of some non-opportunistic pathogens, which in turn may alter the course of HIV infection.

Heterogeneity of HVR-1 quasispecies is predictive of early but not sustained virological response in genotype 1b-infected patients undergoing combined treatment with PEG- or STD-IFN plus RBV.

ISDR mutation pattern and HVR-1 quasispecies were analyzed in HCV genotype 1b-infected patients treated with either PEG- or STD-IFN plus ribavirin, in order to find virological correlates of therapy outcome. ISDR region analysis, performed at baseline (T0) and at 4 weeks of therapy (T1), indicated that ISDR mutation pattern was not predictive of response to treatment. Moreover, no selection of putative resistant strains in the first month of therapy was observed. Viral load was not correlated with any parameter of HVR-1 heterogeneity. Among the HVR-1 heterogeneity parameters considered, complexity was inversely correlated to viral load decline at T1. In univariate analysis, complexity, prop…

Tissue transglutaminase in HCV infection.