TABLE 1.

HCV loads in male and female patients

Group	All patients			Female			Male
	No. of sam- ples	Median age (yr)	Median HCV load (IU/ml)	No. of sam- ples	Median age (yr)	Median HCV load (IU/ml)	No. of sam- ples	Median age (yr)	Median HCV load (IU/ml)
HCV positivea	245	52	344,000	123	55	341,000	122	48	345,000
Genotype 1a	32	47	360,000	20	50	356,000	12	45	372,000
Genotype 1b	116	54	352,000	57	56	352,000	59	48	348,000
Genotype 2b	71	55	320,000	39	55	300,000	32	52	320,000
Genotype 3a	22	39	332,000	6	44	300,000	16	38	340,000
Genotype 4	4	56	316,000	1c	54	356,000	3	59	272,000

^aHCV-infected patients, excluding 12 coinfected patients, and patients with viral loads of <1,000 IU.

^bSixty-nine patients were infected with genotype 2a or 2c. The assay used did not permit a clear assignment to either of these subtypes. Two patients were infected with genotype 2b.

^cOnly one patient was infected with this genotype.