Hepatitis C virus infection and chronic liver disease in Ethiopia where hepatitis B infection is hyperendemic.

To assess the prevalence and possible aetiological association of hepatitis C virus (HCV) with chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), antibodies to HCV (anti-HCV) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent and recombinant immunoblot assays in 500 healthy volunteer blood donors, 14 patients with chronic hepatitis, 156 cirrhotics and 68 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Ethiopia. The prevalences of anti-HCV were 1.4%, 21%, 36% and 46%, respectively. There was no apparent risk factor to suggest the mode of transmission of HCV. Of the 238 patients, 65 (27%) had circulating hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) (denoting current infection), 131 (55%) had antibodies to hepatitis B surface (anti-HBs) and/or core (anti-HBc) antigens (past infection) and 42 (18%) had no hepatitis B virus (HBV) marker. Anti-HCV antibodies were present in only one patient with HBsAg, in 54% with past infection and in 68% of those without HBV markers. Thus, HCV infection was uncommon in HBsAg-positive patients but significantly more common in patients with chronic liver disease and HCC who had evidence of past HBV infection or no marker for HBV infection. HCV infection appeared to be a more common cause of chronic liver disease and HCC than HBV infection in this population. However, considering the high prevalence of overall exposure to HBV infection (68% in healthy blood donors and 82% in those with chronic liver disease, including HCC), HBV is significant in terms of national preventive strategies.