<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><xml><records><record><source-app name="HighWire" version="7.x">Drupal-HighWire</source-app><ref-type name="Journal Article">17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Salazar, Andres E.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Hermogenes, Patricia W.</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Yens, David P.</style></author></authors><secondary-authors></secondary-authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Incidence of Hepatitis C in Patients with Chronic Elevations of Aminotransferases</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">The Journal of the American Board of Family
                Practice</style></secondary-title></titles><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">1996</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">1996-05-01 00:00:00</style></date></pub-dates></dates><pages><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">157-161</style></pages><doi><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">10.3122/jabfm.9.3.157</style></doi><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">9</style></volume><issue><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">3</style></issue><abstract><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Background: We undertook a study to determine the incidence of hepatitis C in patients with persistent elevations of aminotransferases, either alanine aminotransferase (ALT) or aspartate aminotransferase (AST). Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of medical records at the Family Practice Center from 1992 to 1993. Patients in whom aminotransferase levels were elevated 1.5 times normal for at least 6 months were eligible for the study. Sixty patients met our eligibility criteria. Patients were tested for hepatitis B and C and other possible causes of elevated aminotransferase levels. Results: Of these 60 patients, 35 (58 percent) tested positive for hepatitis C virus by first-generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA-I); 30 had positive results confirmed by second-generation recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA-II). The other 5 patients were lost to follow-up, and their status was not confirmed. Of the 30 patients with a positive RIBA-II, 14 had liver biopsies showing chronic persistent hepatitis or chronic active hepatitis, both consistent with hepatitis C infection. Of the 60 patients, 2 (3 percent) had hepatitis B. None had active hepatitis B coexisting with hepatitis C. Conclusions: Our data show a much greater incidence of hepatitis C (50 percent) in our patients with chronic elevations of aminotransferase levels compared with data reported from previous studies.</style></abstract></record></records></xml>