Retrospective demographic and serological analysis of patients who overcame HCV infection spontaneously and those who develop chronic hepatitis

Worldwide, an estimated 170 million people have been infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). While most individuals develop a persistent infection, a smaller proportion of individuals is able to spontaneously eradicate the virus. The mechanisms determining the outcome of infection are poorly understood. To find demographic and/or clinical correlates to spontaneous viral clearance, a group of individuals positive for anti-HCV antibodies but repeatedly negative for HCV-RNA (without therapy), who were identified between 1992 and 2000 (n=67), was compared to a group of consecutive out-patients with chronic hepatitis…