To determine if hepatitis C virus seropositivity and active hepatitis B virus infection in HIV-positive patients vary with patients' geographic origins, we studied co-infections in HIV-seropositive adults. Active hepatitis B infection was more prevalent in persons from Africa, and hepatitis C seropositivity was more common in persons from eastern Europe.

Co-infections with HCV and HIV are common, because both viruses share routes of transmission and establish chronic infections. The standard treatment for chronic hepatitis C, a combination of peginterferon-a and ribavirin, is poorly tolerated and only successful in about half of the treated patients. Thus, identification of accurate predictors of treatment response is highly desirable. Several ...

BACKGROUND The burden of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has become more and more considerable in China. A macroscopic spatial analysis of HCV infection that can provide scientific information for further intervention and disease control is lacking. METHODS All geo-referenced HCV cases that had been recorded by the China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention (CISDCP) during 2005-2011 ...

Introduction Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains a major public health burden, with an estimated worldwide prevalence of 2.5% of the population (177.5 million infected adults); this ranges from 1.3% in the Americas to 2.9% in Africa. In the United States alone, an estimated 3 million to 4 million persons are chronically infected with HCV, and approximately half are unaware of their infect...

Background Worldwide, the hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a common cause of chronic liver disease, but it is rarely diagnosed in the stage of acute hepatitis. Although hepatitis C was the most important hepatitis related to blood products transfusion, since 1992 the overall epidemiology of HCV infection has changed dramatically, many newly diagnosed cases of HCV infection being related to ...

Over 170 million patients worldwide are chronically infected with Hepatitis C virus (HCV); making it a globally important infection. Dentists constantly handle sharp instruments infected with biological fluids and are therefore considered at high-risk of contracting HCV infection. Needle-stick injuries seem to be the most common route of exposure to blood-borne pathogens in dental practice. Mor...

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection occurs in an estimated one quarter of HIV-infected persons in Europe, Australia, and the United States. As use of highly active antiretroviral drugs has markedly reduced opportunistic infections, HCV-related liver disease has emerged as a leading cause of death. HIV infection adversely affects both the natural history and the treatment of hepatitis C. Because...

A Consensus Conference was convened by the Italian National Institute of Health on May 5-6, 2005, to address the issue of the screening for hepatitis C virus infection in adults in Italy. It was concluded that a mass screening for hepatitis C virus infection is inappropriate. It was recommended that the following high-risk groups be tested for hepatitis C virus infection, particularly if they a...

CHRONIC HEPATITIS C VIRUS (HCV) infection is a common worldwide problem. The infection may progress to cirrhosis with the subsequent development of complications such as ascites, encephalopathy, variceal bleeding, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Thus, early detection and therapy is of great importance. There has been substantial progress in understanding various aspects of HCV infection, includin...

An estimated 170 million people worldwide are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), including approximately 3 million in the United States. Hepatitis C virus disease accounts for approximately 10,000 deaths annually in this country, with this number expected to increase by 2or 3-fold by 2020. It is estimated that HCV coinfection is present in 30% (approximately 240,000) of the individuals with...