Thromb Haemostasis
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In a previous study, we have determined the prevalence of serum HGV-RNA in patients with congenital clotting disorders. Twenty-six (15%) of 175 patients investigated were serum HGV-RNA positive. In addition, HGV-RNA was detectable in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in ten percent of the cases, three of these patients were serum HGV-RNA negative. ⋯ The clearance of viremia is usually associated with seroconversion to anti-HGV-E2. In addition, anti-HGV-E2 may be lost during years of follow-up without the reappearance of the HGV-RNA. Although HGV infection does not seem to influence the fate of HCV infection and does not induce increased levels of serum ALT, the clinical significance of long-term infection remains to be established.