Clinical trial NCT00001982: History of Hepatitis C in Volunteer Blood Donors
Official title: Natural History of Chronic Hepatitis C Among Volunteer Blood Donors
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Conditions: Hepatitis C
Keywords: Aminotransferases
Anti-HCV
Blood Donors
HCV RNA
Hepatitis C
Liver Biopsy
Serum Aminotransferases
Transfusion
Lead sponsor: National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC)
Sponsor class: NIH
First posted: 2002-12-10
Enrollment: 60
Sex: ALL
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary: Hepatitis C is a disease of the liver caused by the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV). Patients with hepatitis C may feel well and show no signs or symptoms of being ill. However, researchers would like to study the long-term effects of this disease.

Volunteer blood donors diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C viral (HCV) and various levels of liver enzyme activity will be offered a complete medical evaluation and liver biopsy. The tests will enable researchers to provide the patients with an idea of how severe their liver disease is. The virus and patient will be studied in order to understand why patients with hepatitis C develop different levels of liver damage.

Detailed description: A selected sample of volunteer blood donors with chronic hepatitis C viral (HCV) infection and various levels of serum aminotransferase activity will be offered a complete medical evaluation and liver biopsy to determine the severity of their liver disease. Various virological and host factors will be studied in an attempt to determine why patients with HCV infection develop differing degrees of liver disease.

Eligibility criteria: Patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Age 18 to 70 years, male or female.

HCV infection indicated by the presence of anti-HCV (by ELISA and recombinant immunoblot assay \[RIBA\]).

Written informed consent.

Women must not be pregnant.

Patients must not have significant systemic illnesses other than liver disease, including congestive heart failure, renal failure, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus.

Patients must not have antiviral or immunosuppressive therapy within the last 6 months.

Patients must not have HIV infection.

Patients must not have contraindications to liver biopsy (mainly clotting abnormality (coumadin therapy, platelet count less than 50,000/cubic millimeter, prothrombin time more than 4 seconds beyond control)).

Primary outcomes:
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Bethesda
country: United States
facility: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
state: Maryland
Study officials:
References:
citation: Kuo G, Choo QL, Alter HJ, Gitnick GL, Redeker AG, Purcell RH, Miyamura T, Dienstag JL, Alter MJ, Stevens CE, et al. An assay for circulating antibodies to a major etiologic virus of human non-A, non-B hepatitis. Science. 1989 Apr 21;244(4902):362-4. doi: 10.1126/science.2496467.
citation: Alter MJ, Margolis HS, Krawczynski K, Judson FN, Mares A, Alexander WJ, Hu PY, Miller JK, Gerber MA, Sampliner RE, et al. The natural history of community-acquired hepatitis C in the United States. The Sentinel Counties Chronic non-A, non-B Hepatitis Study Team. N Engl J Med. 1992 Dec 31;327(27):1899-905. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199212313272702.