Complete blood count, measures of iron status and inflammatory markers in inner-city African Americans with undiagnosed hepatitis C seropositivity.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection may be associated with thrombocytopenia and increased iron stores in patients receiving medical care. We aimed to determine how often changes in hematologic, iron metabolic and inflammatory markers occur in individuals with undiagnosed HCV in the community.

Methods: Inner-city African Americans (n=143) were recruited from the community according to reported ingestion of alcohol.