Hepatitis C virus in the etiology of chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis: Possibility of mixed viral infections due to parenteral transmission

Sera obtained from 381 patients with chronic liver disease from four cities within the USSR were studied for HBV, HDV, and HCV markers of infection. Anti‐HCV activity was detected in 41.2% of non‐A, non‐B cases. The etiological distribution of chronic hepatitis in Moscow and Dushanbe was similar with an approximate 20% prevalence for HBV, HDV, and HCV infections, whereas in Yakatsk 40% of cases were caused by HDV infections. The etiology of disease remained unrecognized in approximately 40% of patients with chronic liver disease in Moscow and Dushanbe and in 15% in Yakutsk. Anti‐HCV activity was detected in 18.8% of patients with chronic HBV infections and in 8.3% of patients with chronic HDV infections. Anti‐HCV activity was detected in 41% of patients without markers of HBV or HDV infections. The reasons for the observed differences in HCV prevalence among patients chronically infected with HDV are discussed.