Epidemiological, haematological, biochemical, and histological characteristics of 90 patients with chronic hepatitis B or C
| Characteristic | Chronic hepatitis B (n=39) | Chronic hepatitis C (n=51) | Total (n=90) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quantitative values are expressed as mean (SD) or median (range). | |||
| Chronic hepatitis B versus chronic hepatitis C patients: *p=0.001; **p<0.001; ***p=0.003; ****p=0.001. | |||
| ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; GGT, gamma-glutamyl-transpeptidase; ULN, upper limit of normal. | |||
| Sex (M/F) | 30/9 | 34/17 | 64/26 |
| Age (y) | 50 (14)* | 41 (13)* | 45 (14) |
| Possible source of infection (n) | ** | ** | |
| Blood transfusion | 1 | 19 | 20 |
| Parenteral drug use | 0 | 15 | 15 |
| Intrafamilial contact | 17 | 2 | 19 |
| Health care work | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown | 21 | 14 | 35 |
| Haemoglobin (g/dl) | 14.1 (1.3) | 14.1 (1.6) | 14.1 (1.5) |
| White blood cell count (×103/l) | 6.3 (1.6)*** | 7.6 (2.0)*** | 7.1 (2.0) |
| Platelet count (×103/l) | 182 (56)**** | 228 (64)**** | 208 (64) |
| Prothrombin time (s) | 12.0 (1.0) | 11.7 (0.8) | 11.8 (0.9) |
| Partial thromboplastin time (s) | 31 (4) | 32 (5) | 32 (4) |
| Fibrinogen level (mg/dl) | 253 (48) | 273 (70) | 264 (62) |
| ALT (IU/l) | 94 (24–490) | 82 (24–365) | 88 (24–490) |
| AST, (IU/l) | 50 (19–213) | 51 (19–189) | 51 (19–213) |
| Alkaline phosphatase (×ULN) | 0.6 (0.3–1.2) | 0.6 (0.3–1.4) | 0.6 (0.3–1.4) |
| GGT (×ULN) | 0.5 (0.2–3.0) | 0.7 (0.2–3.0) | 0.5 (0.2–3.0) |
| Histological grading | 7.1 (2.3) | 6.8 (2.4) | 6.9 (2.3) |
| Histological staging | 3.0 (1.4) | 2.8 (1.4) | 2.9 (1.4) |
| Cirrhosis (staging=5–6) (n (%)) | 6 (15) | 6 (12) | 12 (13) |