We found a match
Your institution may have rights to this item. Sign in to continue.
- Title
Chronic Hepatitis C in Ethnic Minority Patients Evaluated in Los Angeles County.
- Authors
Bonacini, Maurizio; Groshen, Susan; Yu, Mimi C.; Govindarajan, Sugantha; Lindsay, Karen L.
- Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare demographic, clinical, and histological features of hepatitis C in four ethnic groups seen at the Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Hepatitis Clinic. METHODS: We evaluated 256 patients with chronic hepatitis C, with 132 (52%) receiving a liver biopsy as part of their evaluation. We estimated fibrosis progression in 103 patients with known duration of disease. RESULTS: Asians (6%) were underrepresented in the hepatitis C cohort, whereas Latinos (51 %) were overrepresented, as compared with the entire county population. A history of injection drug use was more frequent in whites (65%) than in African Americans (45%, <em>p</em> = 0.05), Latinos (47%, <em>p</em> = 0.01), or Asians (0%) and more frequent in Latinos (59%) than in Latinas (26%,<em>p</em> = 0.003). Such a gender difference was not found in African Americans or whites. Baseline laboratory values were comparable. The amount of alcohol consumed daily was higher in African Americans than in Asians (<em>p</em> = 0.0001) and whites (<em>p</em> = 0.10). African Americans (0.077 fibrosis stages/yr) and whites (0.084/yr) had significantly lower mean estimated progression of liver fibrosis than Latinos (0.215/yr) with hepatitis C virus infection (<em>p</em> = 0.03 and 0.02, respectively); this was likely related to their longer estimated duration of disease. CONCLUSION: Minorities represent the majority of chronic hepatitis C cases in the Los Angeles County Hepatitis Clinic. Asians, Latinas, and African Americans are less likely to report injection drug use as a risk factor for hepatitis C virus. Latinos seem to have faster liver fibrosis progression rates than either African Americans or whites.
- Subjects
LOS Angeles County (Calif.); CALIFORNIA; HEPATITIS C; HEALTH of minorities; ETHNIC groups; VIRAL hepatitis
- Publication
American Journal of Gastroenterology (Springer Nature), 2001, Vol 96, Issue 8, p2438
- ISSN
0002-9270
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/j.1572-0241.2001.04050.x