PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Salazar, Andres E.
AU  - Hermogenes, Patricia W.
AU  - Yens, David P.
TI  - Incidence of Hepatitis C in Patients with Chronic Elevations of Aminotransferases
AID  - 10.3122/jabfm.9.3.157
DP  - 1996 May 01
TA  - The Journal of the American Board of Family
                Practice
PG  - 157--161
VI  - 9
IP  - 3
4099  - http://www.jabfm.org/content/9/3/157.short
4100  - http://www.jabfm.org/content/9/3/157.full
SO  - J Am Board Fam Med1996 May 01; 9
AB  - 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.