OVERVIEW
Hepatitis G is caused by infection with hepatitis G virus (HGV), and the route of transmission has been shown to be the parenteral route (bloodborne). Susceptible individuals include those on hemodialysis and healthcare workers who come into contact with blood sources. In addition, intravenous drug use is another important route. Serum viral hepatitis Hepatitis G virus RNA is detected in 11.6% of patients who use drugs intravenously; mother-to-child transmission can be up to 33% in pregnant women infected with Hepatitis G virus. The prevention of hepatitis Hepatitis Hepatitis focuses on good blood transfusion; early detection, early prevention and treatment.
Causes
1. Through blood, blood products, sexual transmission and vertical infection from mother to child. Because of the similar transmission pattern with AIDS, GBV-C infection is common among AIDS patients, and the rate of GBV-C virus carriage is 14% to 43%.
2. Most people with a normal immune system who are infected with GBV-C are able to clear the virus particles from their bodies within a few years (GBV-C RNA is undetectable in plasma). Some infected people can keep the virus in their bodies for decades.
3. GBV-C particles are detected in about 2% of healthy U.S. blood donors. Up to 13% of U.S. blood donors are positive for antibodies to the E2 protein, indicating earlier infection.
Symptoms
The clinical presentation of hepatitis G is similar to that of acute hepatitis; it may also be prevalent in fulminant hepatitis. Its clinical presentation lacks significant specificity and has the usual signs and symptoms of viral hepatitis, such as nausea, nausea, right upper abdominal discomfort, pain, jaundice, hepatomegaly, and hepatic tenderness.
There are three main subtypes of hepatic hepatitis:
1. GBV-c
It is found in Africa, North America, Asia and Europe;
2. New group
Mainly seen in Asia and Europe;
3.HGV
Mainly found in Europe, Asia and North America.
Tests
1. Routine liver function tests.
2. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method to detect HGV RNA in serum
HGV RNA can be detected in serum about 1 week after infection with HGV. RT-PCR can be used as an early diagnosis of HGV infection.
3. Enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to detect anti-HGV antibody in serum.
Generally, anti-HGV antibody positivity appears only after 3 weeks of infection.
It is reported abroad that the positive compliance rate between EIA method and RT-PCR method is only 3%~18%, which is not suitable for the laboratory diagnosis of HGV infection. However, recently, the positive compliance rate between anti-HGV EIA method developed by our country and RT-PCR method can be as high as 60%, which is expected to be used for the screening of HGV infection.
Diagnosis
Confirmation of the diagnosis mainly depends on clinical manifestations and laboratory tests.
Treatment
Symptomatic, hepatoprotective and enzyme-lowering medications all contribute to the recovery of mild HGV hepatitis and promote liver repair. Interferon is effective in treating cases of chronic hepatitis G in combination with hepatitis B or C virus.
Prognosis
There are eight possible clinical regressions after hepatic virus infection:
1. a transient viremia in which the virus is quickly cleared by the body, called occult infection.
2. the development of acute hepatitis manifestations. The degree of ALT increase and the depth of gangrene in simple hepatic virus infection may be less severe than acute hepatitis C. However, clinically, the infection is often co-infected with hepatitis C or even hepatitis B. Most patients recover quickly.
3. The virus persists, some patients are always in low titer status, a small number of serum contains medium to high titer of HGV, but none of them have clinical symptoms, they are asymptomatic virus carriers.
4. Transaminases increase intermittently with the fluctuation of viral titers in the blood.
5. A few have prolonged and recurrent episodes of chronic hepatitis.
6. It may cause fulminant hepatitis, and subacute severe hepatitis is common.
7. It takes a long time from chronic infection to the occurrence of hepatic cirrhosis in hepatitis G, but once hepatic cirrhosis occurs, the condition turns sharply and progresses very fast.
8. Hepatitis G is an associated factor of hepatocellular carcinoma, but in most cases, the development of hepatocellular carcinoma may be a synergistic effect of hepatitis B or C virus and hepatitis G virus.
Prevention
Cutting off blood-borne transmission routes and screening blood donors and blood products are the most critical measures to reduce and prevent viral hepatitis HepV. Blood products and fresh blood should never be transfused as a last resort.