Prevalence of Hepatitis C virus antibody in patients with sexually transmitted diseases attending a Harrisburg, PA, STD clinic.

OBJECTIVE: The prevalence of hepatitis B and hepatitis C in a sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic population was studied, along with the prevalence of various STD agents, in an attempt to identify possible STD markers for the hepatitis C virus and help delineate the role of hepatitis C as an STD. The hepatitis C antibody rates found in the STD clinic were also compared with those found among patients attending a local OB/GYN clinic and those enrolled in a blood donor program, all from the same geographical area. METHODS: A total of 150 women attending an STD clinc were examined for each of the following agents: Chlamyadia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, syphilis, hepatitis B surface antigen, hepatitis B core antibody, hepatitis B surface antibody, and hepatitis C virus antibody. Additionally, several patients who signed informed consent to be evaluated for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibody were tested by an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) screen method. The prevalence of each agent was then compared with the other agents. RESULTS: The overall prevalence rates detected were as follows: hepatitis B 16%, hepatitis C 4%, chlamydia 18.7%, gonorrhea 7.4%, syphilis 0.7%, and HIV 0%. Hepatitis C antibody was detected in 4% of patients in the STD clinic, 0.76% of volunteer blood donors from central Pennsylvania, and 0% of patiants studied from the Harrisburg Hospital (Harrisburg, PA) prentatal population. CONCLUSIONS: This screening study reveals an association between attending a Harrisburg, PA, area STD clinic and having an increased prevalence of hepatitis C antibody, but larger matched control studies will be needed to help clarify sexual transmission as a mode of transmission for the hepatitis C virus.

Ketonuria in normal pregnancy.

Nine low-risk, clinically normal pregnant women tested their urine for ketone bodies at three- to four-day intervals throughout gestation. Eight of the women had acetoacetonuria present on two to 15 days each. This finding was not related to length of gestation or time of day. Ketonuria probably occurs sporadically in most normal pregnancies.

The treatment of endometriosis at laparoscopy for infertility.

Endometriosis is found in some infertile women, and treatment by laparotomy and/or hormonal therapy is associated with subsequent pregnancy. In this study, 100 consecutive patients with mild/moderate endometriosis were treated at laparoscopy. Forty of these women achieved a pregnancy within 37 months postoperatively; 73% of these pregnancies occurred within 6 months, and 88% within 12 months of operation. Although this pregnancy rate is similar to rates obtained after treatment by laparotomy and/or hormonal therapy, the pregnancies in this study population occurred significantly earlier than after laparotomy or combined therapy. The age of the women, duration of infertility, parity, extent of endometriosis, or presence of additional treatable factors of infertility did not affect the pregnancy rate. There was no significant morbidity, and the procedure can be performed on an outpatient basis with local anesthesia. Laparoscopy offers a practicable alternative for the treatment of mild/moderate endometriosis in infertile women.