Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection persists for an indefinite length of time in a major proportion of patients, inducing chronic liver lesions that evolve to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in approximately 20% of cases. We studied HCV viremia and genotypes by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in 341 consecutive anti-HCV-positive patients. Of these, 167 patients had persistently normal or near normal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels (fluctuations < or = 5 IU above the upper limit of normal); the remaining 174 patients presented with elevated ALT and histological evidence of chronic liver disease. Seventy percent of patients with normal ALT values had circulating HCV RNA despite the absence of biochemical indicators of liver damage and mild histological forms of chronic hepatitis were detected in most patients who underwent liver biopsy. Isolated genotype III infection was significantly more prevalent in this patient group with respect to control patients with abnormal ALT values (70% vs. 39%; P < .001). Conversely, isolated genotype II was more frequently found in patients with elevated ALT values and evidence of chronic liver disease (45% vs. 23%; P < .01) and it was progressively more represented in advanced liver disease, such as cirrhosis and HCC. Virological features of HCV infection might be associated with different clinical manifestations, suggesting a potential prognostic significance on disease outcome.

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A 24-wk treatment course with IFN-alpha and ribavirin given to patients with a previous lack of response to IFN-alpha alone offers a chance of a sustained biochemical and virological response, at least in a subset of such patients. The role of long-term therapy in inducing prolonged remission still remains to be explored.