Virological features of hepatitis C virus infection in patients with liver diseases in a high risk region for hepatocellular carcinoma in the inshore area of the Yangtze river

• Published in: Kanzo Vol. 36; no. 2; pp. 76 - 84
• Main Authors: YAO, Deng-Fu, HORIE, Chiyo, HONDA, Hirohito, ITO, Susumu, SHIMIZU, Ichiro, HORIE, Takahiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: The Japan Society of Hepatology 25.02.1995
• Subjects: HCV
• ISSN: 0451-4203; 1881-3593
• DOI: 10.2957/kanzo.36.76

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is relatively common in China, especially in the inshore area of the Yangtze river including Nantong. In Nantong, most patients with liver disease were infected with HBV, but the prevalence of HCV infection was very low. In HCV infected patients with chronic liver disease, 45.6% were associated with HBV, and 61.4% had a history of blood transfusion. HCV genotype analysis shows that in Nantong genotype II was dominant, followed by genotype III. The genome sequences of the HCV core gene in Natong were more closely similar to those of previous isolates from Japan than those of American and French isolates. These results suggest that HCV infection is not an important etiological factor for HCC in a HBV endemic area, and that HCV in Nantong may have evolved epidemiologically with infections in Japan.