Table 1.
Patients’ demographics and existing risk factors
| Categorical variables | Group I (Cleared) |
Group II (Chronic) |
p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gender1 | 18 (M)/22 (F) | 27 (M)/13 (F) | 0.043* |
| Mean age2 | 49.0 (12.9)£ | 47.8 (12.2)£ | 0.651 |
| Age 1st intercourse2 | 17 (6)§ | 17 (4)§ | 0.202 |
| Occupational exposure | 11/40 | 7/40 | 0.284 |
| Blood transfusion (BT) | 8/37 | 9/36 | 0.733 |
| Surgery | 37/40 | 29/40 | 0.019* |
| Number sexual partners3 | 2.0 (3)† | 2.0 (2) † | 0.364 |
| MSM** | 1/38 | 6/40 | 0.044* |
| STD¥ | 8/39 | 19/40 | 0.011* |
| Drug use | 13/37 | 14/40 | 0.990 |
| Injection drug use | 6/13 | 10/14 | 0.182 |
| Personal contact—drug user | 5/40 | 7/40 | 0.531 |
| Sexual contact—drug user | 11/34 | 6/36 | 0.126 |
| Personal contact—HCV carrier | 3/40 | 4/40 | 0.692 |
| Sexual contact—HCV carrier | 4/36 | 5/29 | 0.477 |
| Personal contact—(BT) | 6/40 | 7/40 | 0.762 |
| Sexual contact—(BT) | 6/27 | 2/19 | 0.303 |
1M, Male; F, Female. *Statistically significant. 2Range within parenthesis. £For the mean age, criterion of the value between parentheses represents standard deviation (SD). §For the median age of first intercourse, criterion of the value between parentheses represents inter-quarter range (IQR). 3Median number. †For the median of number of sexual partners, criterion of the value between parentheses represents inter-quarter range (IQR). **MSM, men who have sex with men. ¥Self-report of sexually transmitted disease (STD)