Community transmission of hepatitis B virus in Egypt: results from a case-control study in Greater Cairo.

Background: To identify current risk factors for hepatitis B virus (HBV) transmission in Greater Cairo.

Methods: A 1:1 matched case-control study was conducted in two 'fever' hospitals in Cairo. Acute hepatitis B cases were patients with acute hepatitis, positive HBs antigen, and high anti-HBc IgM titres.

Symptomatic acute hepatitis C in Egypt: diagnosis, spontaneous viral clearance, and delayed treatment with 12 weeks of pegylated interferon alfa-2a.

Background And Objectives: The aim of this study was to estimate the proportion of spontaneous viral clearance (SVC) after symptomatic acute hepatitis C and to evaluate the efficacy of 12 weeks of pegylated interferon alfa-2a in patients who did not clear the virus spontaneously.

Methods: Patients with symptomatic acute hepatitis C were recruited from two "fever hospitals" in Cairo, Egypt. Patients still viremic three months after the onset of symptoms were considered for treatment with 12 weeks of pegylated interferon alfa-2a (180 microg/week).