Introduction Hepatic steatosis is common in patients with
chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, and its occurrence
may be related to both host and viral factors. Relationship
between improvement in steatosis and response to anti-viral
treatment remains unclear. This study assessed the factors associated
with steatosis in patients infected with genotype 4
HCV, and to correlate degree of changes in steatosis with host
factors and response to treatment.
Methods Records of 175 patients with chronic genotype 4
HCV infection, who had received interferon and ribavirin
combination therapy, were reviewed retrospectively to extract
data on body mass index (BMI), presence of diabetes mellitus,
and liver histology fi ndings. Paired BMI data and liver
biopsies (pre- and 24-weeks post-treatment) were available in
86 patients. Baseline steatosis and its changes (before and after
treatment) were the dependent variables in a univariate and
multivariate analyses.
Results Steatosis was found in 88/175 (50.3%) of baseline
biopsies. Its presence was related to baseline BMI (r=0.33,
P<0.01), but not with viral load, or grade of liver infl ammation
or fi brosis. On follow up, improvement in steatosis was
signifi cantly associated with degree of weight loss but not with
response to anti-viral treatment.
Conclusion Steatosis is common in genotype 4 HCV infection,
and its presence appears to be related to high BMI, but
not to viral load or degree of liver injury. |
