Hepatitis G virus infection in patients with bleeding disorders

Eighty-two patients with bleeding disorders registered with our centre were screened for infection with hepatitis G virus (HGV). 80 patients were positive for hepatitis C (HCV) antibodies, 66 of whom (83%) were HCV PCR positive. 11 patients (13%) were HGV RNA-positive, a similar prevalence rate to that of other studies of patients with bleeding disorders who received factor concentrates prior to the introduction of viral inactivation procedures. There was no significant difference in histological activity index (HAI) between the 10 HGV RNA-positive and the 31 HGV RNA-negative patients who underwent liver biopsy for assessment of HCV infection (median HAI scores 5.5, range 2-10 and four, range 0-10 respectively, P=0.07). One patient in each group had established cirrhosis. In patients who underwent HCV quantitation there was no significant difference in HCV viral titre between HGV RNA-positive and negative patients (median HCV titre in HGV RNA-positive patients 2.10x10(5) DNA copies/ml (n = 8) range 4.17x10(2) to 4.17x10(6), median HCV titre in HGV RNA-negative patients 3.33x10(5) (n = 31) range 1.00x10(3) to 6.67x10(6), P=0.68). In this study there was no evidence that individuals co-infected with HGV and HCV have more severe liver disease than those infected with HCV alone.