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- Jeff...
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- Thought you might find this interesting....you will never
see a study like this publicized in the mainstream media, especially since
it was done at a VA. hospital.
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- Did you know that VA hospitals are classed by the US
government as "Welfare" hospitals, and that there is a plan to
begin sending indigent patients to VA. hospitals rather than to private/Universtiy
hospitals?
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- This is what the US government thinks of it's Veterans......
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- Thanks again, for your interest in these issues.
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- Dan
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- -----Original Message-----
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- From: Kevin [mailto:KEVINDCPT@prodigy.net] Subject: HCV:
VA Atlanta - Hospitalized US Veterans
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- SOURCE: Am J Med Sci 2000 Jun;319(6):353-9
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- Prevalence of hepatitis C virus seropositivity among
hospitalized US veterans.
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- Austin GE, Jensen B, Leete J, De L'Aune W, Bhatnagar
J, Racine M, Braun JE Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine,
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Decatur, Georgia 30033, USA.
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- BACKGROUND
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- Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of acute and
chronic hepatitis in the United States and abroad.
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- HCV antibody prevalences ranging from 10 to 90% have
been reported in intravenous drug abusers, hemodialysis patients, and persons
suffering from other liver diseases, whereas HCV seropositivity rates for
volunteer-blood donor populations are generally under 1%.
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- However no information has been available concerning
the prevalence of HCV in general hospital populations in the United States.
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- METHODS
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- We examined the rate of HCV seropositivity in 530 patients
admitted to the Atlanta VA Medical Center between November 1993 and November
1994. The test population consisted of 400 random hospital admissions,
100 successive admissions to the surgical service, and 30 random admissions
to the gastrointestinal service. Serum samples were assayed for HCV antibodies
by a second generation EIA, and all repeat reactives were re-examined using
a supplemental research assay to confirm the presence of HCV antibodies.
Complete chart reviews were carried out on all HCV seropositive patients
and on 100 HCV seronegative patients.
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- RESULTS
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- Sixty-two of the 530 patients tested (11.7%) were repeatedly
positive for HCV antibodies. Of these 62 repeat reactives, 56 (90.3%) were
positive and 3 others (4.8%) indeterminate by the supplemental assay. The
HCV seropositivity rate after supplemental testing was 11.8% for random
admissions, 5.0% for surgical admissions, and 13.3% for patients admitted
to the gastroenterology service. HCV-associated risk factors in HCV seropositive
patients included a history of intravenous drug abuse, current or previous
alcohol abuse, previous or concurrent liver disease, previous blood transfusions,
hemodialysis, and multiple sex partners or unsafe sex.
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- CONCLUSIONS
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- HCV infection may be more prevalent among hospitalized
VA patients (and among other US hospital populations) than previously expected.
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- PMID: 10875289, UI: 20331544
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