THE SPECTRUM OF HEPATITIS-C ANTIBODY-POSITIVE DISEASE IN A TEACHING HOSPITAL

Objective: To survey clinical associations of a positive hepatitis C virus antibody (HCV-antibody) test. Design: Retrospective analysis of all positive HCV-antibody tests reported by a Virology Department Setting: A complex secondary and tertiary care leaching hospital. Patients: 144 confirmed cases with HCV-antibody in serum, identified from approximately 2,500 clinical specimens tested. Results: Over 99% of positive tests were in the following groups: liver dysfunction; multiply transfused individuals; intravenous drug abusers; patients with bleeding disorders; and renal replacement therapy. Amongst the patients with liver disease - the only group in which a known epidemiological association was not the indication for testing - over 25% of patients had no risk factor identifiable, representing 7.5% of the total group of HCV-antibody positive patients. Conclusion: Selective HCV-antibody testing in a U.K. hospital population reveals a substantial population of positive patients, and risk factors for heptatitis C are not always present.