Table 1.
Characteristics of 56 Patients With Acute Hepatitis C
| Parameter | Total No. of Patients | Self-limiting | Chronic Evolution | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | 56 | 18 (32) | 38 (68) | |
| Sex, M/F | 39/17 | 9/9 | 30/8 | .028 |
| Age, y, median (range) | 31 (19–78) | 45 (20–78) | 30.5 (19–62) | .018 |
| Risk factor | ||||
| Intravenous drug use | 23 | 4 | 19 | 0.172 |
| Invasive procedure | 13 | 4 | 9 | |
| Needle-stick injury | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| Cohabitation with HCV-positive person | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Sexual contact | 6 | 3 | 3 | |
| Healthcare employment | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| Other percutaneous exposure | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| Undetermined | 6 | 3 | 3 | |
| ALT, U/L median (range) | 1233.5 (29–5917) | 1487 (29–5917) | 1164 (129–3276) | .118 |
| Peak total bilirubin, mg/dL, median (range) | 4.83 (0.30–30.37) | 7.84 (0.84–30.4) | 2.9 (0.30–209) | .024 |
| RNA titer, UI/mL, median (range) | 13 850 (960–23.8 × 105) | 20 850 (1630–23.8 × 105) | 13 850 (960–19.4 × 105) | .796 |
| Total bilirubin ≥7 mg/dL | 23 (41) | 11 (61) | 12 (32) | .036 |
| Total bilirubin <7 mg/dL | 33 (59) | 7 (39) | 26 (68) | |
| ALT ≥1000 U/L | 35 (62.5) | 15 (83) | 20 (53) | .027 |
| ALT <1000 U/L | 21 (37.5) | 3 (17) | 18 (47) | |
| Diagnostic criteria | ||||
| Sudden onset of disease | 56 (100) | 18 (100) | 38 (100) | … |
| No other causes of acute hepatitis | 56 (100) | 18 (100) | 38 (100) | … |
| ALT >10 × ULN | 53 (95) | 17 (94) | 36 (95) | 1.000 |
| HCV RNA positivity | 52 (93) | 16 (89) | 36 (95) | .587 |
| Risk factors | 50 (89) | 15 (83) | 35 (92) | .374 |
| Evidence of anti-HCV seroconversiona | 54 (96) | 17 (94) | 37 (97) | .544 |
| Viral load parameters revealing acute infectionb | 49 (87.5) | 17 (94) | 32 (84) | .409 |
| No. of fulfilled diagnostic criteria | ||||
| 7 | 38 (68) | 12 (67) | 26 (68) | 1.000 |
| 6 | 13 (23) | 4 (22) | 9 (24) | |
| 5 | 5 (9) | 2 (11) | 3 (8) | |
| HCV genotype | ||||
| 1a | 6 | 1 | 5 | .106 |
| 1b | 15 | 6 | 9 | |
| 2a/2c | 11 | 2 | 9 | |
| 2b | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 3a | 16 | 4 | 12 | |
| 4c/4d | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| Undetermined | 6 | 5 | 1 | |
| Symptoms at the onset | 56 (100) | 18 (100) | 38 (100) | … |
| Jaundice at the onset | 35 (62.5) | 14 (77.8) | 21 (55) | .104 |
| Follow-up, mo, median (range) | 21 (6–117) | 24 (6–103) | 18 (6–117) | .168 |
| IL28B.rs12979860 | 54 | 17 | 37 | |
| Allele | ||||
| T | 23 (21.3) | 3 (8.8) | 20 (27) | .032 |
| C | 85 (78.7) | 31 (91.2) | 54 (73) | |
| Genotype | ||||
| TT | 2 (3.7) | 0 (0) | 2 (5.4) | .030c |
| CT | 19 (35.2) | 3 (17.7) | 16 (43.2) | |
| CC | 33 (61.1) | 14 (82.3) | 19 (51.4) | |
Data are presented as No. (%) unless otherwise indicated.
Abbreviations: ALT, alanine aminotransferase; HCV, hepatitis C virus; ULN, upper limit of normal.
a Evidence of anti-HCV seroconversion included anti-HCV seroconversion after disease onset and/or anti-HCV positivity at disease onset associated with a documented anti-HCV-negative test in the previous 12 months and/or recombinant immunoblot assay seroconversion.
b Viral load parameters indicative of acute HCV infection included detection of viral load fluctuations >1 log and/or HCV RNA levels <100 000 IU/mL within 3 months from disease onset.
c CC versus non-CC.