The study encompassed 107 children, age range 1-18 years, with chronic hepatitis C,hospitalised in the Department of Gastroenterology and Children's Diseases in Bydgoszcz in 1994-1996. Physical examination did not result in any significant data. The only sign of the disease was a slight enlargement of liver detected in 35% of infected children.Also biochemical tests revealed to be of small usefulness, yet in 96% of patients morphological abnormalities in the liver were detected. It seems that in order to diagnose asymptomatic HCV infection, routine serological tests for HCV are necessary, especially in the group of patients with history of multiple hospitalisations.

Keywords: asymptomatic infection, children, HCV