Chronic hepatitis C virus infection with exposure to hepatitis B virus.

The prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) in Israel has not yet been reported. A retrospective analysis was performed on the first 92 consecutive patients referred to our Liver Unit with serologically confirmed antibodies to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) who had evidence for chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. We compared 31 patients who were anti-HCV positive with 61 patients who had evidence for both previous or present infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) as well as HCV. Dual infection was significantly more prevalent in Jewish patients of non-Ashkenazi origin, who were also characterized by higher rates of portal hypertension manifested by ascites, bleeding esophageal varices as well as hepatic encephalopathy and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis. We conclude that dual infection of HBV and HCV was found in 66% of patients with anti-HCV positive liver disease in Jerusalem, and that these patients develop more serious complications than CLD patients with anti-HCV alone.