|
Home
What is
Hepatitis
How is it
Transmitted
Long Term
Prognosis
Complications of
HCV
Liver
Biopsy
Treatment Info
(Interferon, Herbal, etc)
Lab Tests (PCR,
Genotype,etc.)
Nutrition
& Alternative Info
Patient
Information (Support Groups, Doctor Listing,
etc)
Related
Webpages
Transplant
Info
Site
Search
HCV
Webrings
My
guestbookbook
Site
Awards
FAQ &
Disclaimers
|
Analysis of Histopathological Manifestations of Chronic
Hepatitis C Virus Infection With Respect to Virus Genotype
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes acute and often chronic
hepatitis. On the basis of variations in nucleotide sequence, at
least six genotypes and several subtypes have been identified.
Histopathologically, chronic HCV infection is characterized by
relatively mild hepatic inflammatory activity and a low degree of
fibrosis, but hepatic lesions might be accompanied by bile duct
damage, intraportal lymphoid aggregates, steatosis, or a
combination of these manifestations. The histopathological lesions
thus appear quite heterogeneous. To address the question of whether
distinct histopathological manifestations are related to particular
genotypes of HCV, 90 patients with chronic HCV infection were
analyzed regarding histopathological features, biochemical liver
parameters, demographic data, and virus genotype. The results
revealed a significantly higher prevalence of both steatosis and
bile duct lesions among patients infected by HCV type 3a compared
to patients infected by types 1a or 1b. Furthermore, the data
suggest inter-relationships between virus genotype, patient's age,
and a history of intravenous drug abuse. However, none of the
histopathological manifestations were found to be related to a
history of drug abuse. The data further corroborate the
relationship of HCV type 1b infection to age, duration of disease,
and the degree of fibrosis, respectively. Irrespective of HCV
genotype, elevated serum ALT activity was shown to be associated
with pronounced inflammatory activity or pronounced steatosis as
well. Thus, the current data support the hypothesis that distinct
genotypes of HCV appear to be associated with distinct
manifestations of disease.
Address reprint requests to: G. Ramadori, M.D.,
Georg-August-Universität, Zentrum Innere Medizin, Abteilung
Gastroenterologie und Endokrinologie, Robert-Koch-Straße 40,
D-37075 Göttingen, Germany.
SABINE MIHM,1 AFSHIN FAYYAZI,2 HEINZ HARTMANN,1 AND GIULIANO
RAMADORI1; Hepatology, Vol. 25, No. 3 (March 1997)
Home | What is HCV | Transmission |
Future |
Complications |
Biopsy |
Treatment
| Lab |
Nutrition |
Patient |
Links | Transplant |
Webrings |
guestbookbook |
Awards |
FAQ
|
|