Longitudinal long-term follow-up study of children with vertically acquired hepatitis C virus infection

Seventeen children with vertically acquired hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection were followed from birth for a mean of 104 months. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels were increased significantly at 3 and 6 months of age but were stable thereafter. HCV polymerase chain reaction was positive at 3 months in 16 patients and at 12 months in one patient. Viral load remained stable during follow-up at a mean value of 5.4 (plus or minus) 0.4 log(10). Mild chronic hepatitis was the most common histopathological feature on liver biopsy, occurring in six of the seven children biopsied at a mean age of 4.0 (plus or minus) 2.4 years. Genotype did not seem to be related to the type of liver involvement. The results of this study suggest that vertically acquired HCV infection has a benign course in children, despite the presence of viraemia and persistent alterations in ALT levels. Copyright (copyright) 2006 Cambridge Medical Publications.