SERUM CHOLESTEROL AND CHRONIC HEPATITIS C

Total serum cholesterol levels have been studied in 100 patients with histological diagnoses of chronic hepatitis B and 100 nifh chronic hepatitis C, all without cirrhosis, and in two age- and sex- matched control groups (B and C), Mean serum cholesterol levels of the groups were compared also in relation to sex, liver function, duration of the disease, alcohol intake, body mass index, liver enzymes, presence of liver steatosis and severity of the liver disease on the basis of the histological activity index. The percentages of patients with serum cholesterol level less than 150 mg/dl and greater than 240 mg/dl were also calculated, The mean serum cholesterol level was significantly lower in hepatitis C: 176 mg/dl vs 194 mg/dl of hepatitis B (p=0.004) and 198 of control C (p=0.000), Twenty eight hepatitis C patients had serum cholesterol less than 150 mg/dl vs 10 with hepatitis B (p=0.001). In multivariate linear regression analysis, only the type of virus infection was independent related to serum cholesterol level (p=0.0063).

Author: MAGGI G, OSPED FATEBENEFRATELII, DIV MED, I-22036 ERBA, ITALY Source: ITALIAN JOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY 1996 OCT-NOV;28(8):436-440

$title
\n"; echo "$description