To evaluate the clinical presentation of HCV-infected patients,
we compared patients with active HCV infection (HCV RNApositive)
and patients without active HCV infection (anti-HCV- and
HCV RNA-negative). We did not include patients with hepatitis B
virus infection (HBsAg) in the analysis. No subjective symptoms or
objective signs were significantly more prevalent among patients
with active HCV compared with patients without active HCV
infection (data not shown). None of the study participants were
icteric, had dilated abdominal veins, or gynaecomastia