Transmission of Hepatitis C

* Your July 17 editorial correctly pointed out the importance of chronic hepatitis C in the U.S. The alarmingly high rates of hepatitis C infection in persons who have used illegal drugs, inmates in our prison system and patients in our veterans hospitals are of primary concern. In addition, in our clinics, we are still seeing patients who received blood transfusions before 1990, when testing for hepatitis C in our blood supply was initiated, as well as patients who do not have a known source for infection.

Your statement that sexual contact was a common source for spread of hepatitis C is a bit misleading, since there are few studies that show evidence for this statement. In 1995, we published an article that dealt with sexual transmission in our heterosexual patients with chronic hepatitis C, all of whom tested positive for HCV-RNA, which is the genetic code for the hepatitis C virus. In using the identical test in the spouses of our patients, we found only 2.9% who tested for HCV-RNA. Many of these couples had been married for a considerable length of time. Since then, we have tested many spouses of our hepatitis C patients and have had very few who showed any evidence for hepatitis C infection. Our observations are of utmost importance for individuals who test positive for hepatitis C, since one of their main concerns is for their loved ones. Until further evidence is presented, it is our strong opinion that the hepatitis C virus is not commonly spread via sexual transmission.

MYRON J. TONG PhD, MD

Chief, Liver Center

Huntington Hospital, Pasadena