Prevalence of hepatitis C virus antibodies in the general population & in selected groups of patients in Delhi.

We report on the prevalence of anti-HCV antibodies in healthy individuals and patient groups with different liver diseases. The healthy population comprising 234 voluntary blood donors and 65 pregnant women with no history of liver diseases, had a per cent positivity of 1.5 anti-HCV in each group. The patients groups comprising 32 with acute viral hepatitis, 110 with fulminant hepatic failure, 65 with subacute hepatic failure, 33 with chronic active hepatitis, 45 with cirrhosis and 10 with hepatocellular carcinoma, had anti-HCV per cent positivity of 12.5, 43.6, 41.5, 48.5, 8.8 and 0 respectively. Anti-HCV was also tested in sera from 9 patients who had developed post-transfusion hepatitis and was recorded in 2 (22.2%) within one year of transfusion.