High prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection in patients with B‐cell lymphoproliferative disorders in Italy

Starting from the observation that a number of consecutive patients with non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) resulted positive for hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies on routine testing, we set up a survey for HCV contact prevalence in all patients with lymphoproliferative disorders (LPD) followed in our institution. We searched for HCV antibodies by a third‐generation ELISA technique, followed by a confirmation test (RIBA III); serum viral RNA and HCV genotype were investigated by a RT‐PCR technique. We screened a total of 315 patients suffering from B‐NHL (91), multiple myeloma (56), MGUS (48), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (57), Waldentröm's macroglobulinemia (13), Hodgkin's disease (HD)(43), and T‐NHL (9). While only 1 of 52 patients with a non‐B‐LPD (HD or T‐NHL) had signs of HCV contact (i.e., 1.9%, which is in the range of the normal population in the South of Italy), 59 of 263 patients with a B‐LPD (22.4%) had HCV antibodies or RNA, or both, with no major differences among the various types of disorders, except for WM, in which the rate was higher (61.5%). The same prevalence was found for patients tested at diagnosis or during the follow‐up, and in transfused or never‐transfused patients. Only a few patients were aware of having a liver disease; one‐half of HCV‐positive patients never had transaminase increase. A review of data from Central and Northern Italy is included, showing similar findings; a report from Japan has confirmed such an association, while limited surveys in England have not revealed any correlation. These findings may have important biological and clinical implications. Am. J. Hematol. 55:77‐82, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.