Hepatitis C antibody and chronic liver disease in haemophilia.

A radioimmunoassay was used to detect antibodies to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) in 154 patients with haemophilia. Prevalence of anti-HCV was associated with exposure to clotting factor concentrates. 76 of 129 (59%) who had received factor VIII or IX had anti-HCV: 42 of 55 (76%) who required over 10,000 units of concentrate annually had anti-HCV, compared with 34 of 74 (46%) who required less, and 0 of 25 patients who had never received concentrates. Anti-HCV were significantly more common in patients seropositive for antibodies against human immunodeficiency virus (anti-HIV) or with markers of previous hepatitis B infection than in those without anti-HIV or hepatitis B markers (88% vs 39% and 75% vs 46%, respectively). 5 of 23 (22%) haemophiliacs treated only with heated concentrates had anti-HCV compared with 71 of 106 (67%) patients who received unmodified products. 35 patients with chronic liver disease underwent liver biopsy: histological examination showed features associated with post-transfusion hepatitis in 24, all of whom were anti-HCV-positive; of the other 11 patients with no histological features of non-A, non-B hepatitis, 5 were anti-HCV-positive. HCV appears to be the major predisposing factor for most non-A, non-B hepatitis and chronic liver disease in haemophilia.