Hepatitis C Virus Infection on Iki Island, Japan, an Area Endemic for Human T-lymphotropic Virus Type-I. A Preliminary Study in Patients at Clinics or Hospitals

Patients undergoing routine blood tests at clinics or hospitals on Iki Island, Japan were tested for antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV), hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), and antibody to human T-lymphotropic virus type-1 (anti-HTLV-1). Anti-HCV accounted for 17.5%, HBsAg for 2.9%, and anti-HTLV-1 for 30.3%. Anti-HCV was present in 60.2% of the patients with liver disease and in 13. 5% of those without liver disease. A history of blood...