Non A-G chronic hepatitis in Japan
Orii, K.; Tanaka, E.
Nihon Rinsho. Japanese Journal of Clinical Medicine 57(6): 1269-1273
1999
ISSN/ISBN: 0047-1852 PMID: 10390981 Document Number: 511942
It is clear that certain patients with viral hepatitis are also seronegative for types A, B, C, D, and E. Although hepatitis G virus was discovered recently, this virus has been reported to be non-contributing or only slightly conductive to liver dysfunction. In this article, epidemiological studies regarding patients seronegative for types A to G chronic hepatitis in Japan are reported. Among 1089 patients with chronic liver disease, twenty-five patients (1.8%; 14 chronic hepatitis, 4 cirrhosis, 2 hepatocellular carcinoma) were diagnosed as non A-G hepatitis (negative for HbsAg, HCV-Ab, and HGV RNA). Only 3 of 25 these patients had histories of blood transfusion. The levels of transaminase in the patients with chronic non-A to G hepatitis (without hepatocellular carcinoma) was as the same as those in patients with chronic hepatitis type B and C. Our results indicated a low prevalence of non-A to G chronic hepatitis, yet a few cases were progressive to cirrhosis or HCC, and this may be due to another unknown agents for non-A to G hepatitis.