Chronic Hepatitis C - Effect of alcohol on Hepatic activity and
viral titer
Background/Aims:
Alcohol and the hepatitis C virus have been postulated to interact
to adversely affect the natural history of patients with chronic
liver disease. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of
alcohol on hepatitic activity and serum HCV RNA levels in patients
with chronic hepatitis C,
Methods:
Forty-five consecutive patients with chronic hepatitis C were
classified according to alcohol intake over the 3-month period
preceding study entry: group 1 (n=23), >10 g alcohol/day; group
2 (n=22), less than or equal to 10 g alcohol/day, Hepatitic
activity and alcohol intake were assessed at study entry and,
following moderation of alcohol intake, after a mean follow-up
period of 4.4+/ -0.2 months,
Results:
Hepatitic activity was significantly greater in the patients who
consumed >10 g of alcohol/day, Moderation of alcohol consumption
in patients consuming >10 g/day resulted in a significant
decrease in both disease activity (p=0.0002) and viral RNA titre
(p=0.018); there was no change over the study period in patients
with a consistently low alcohol intake.
Conclusion:
The results support the hypotheses that, in patients with chronic
hepatitis C, alcohol aggravates hepatic injury, increases viral
load and adversely affects the natural history of the associated
liver disease.
Author: FJ DUDLEY, ALFRED HOSP, DEPT GASTROENTEROL, ALFRED
HLTH CARE GRP, COMMERCIAL RD PRAHRAN, VIC 3181
Source: JOURNAL OF HEPATOLOGY 1996 DEC;25(6):821-826
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