| Abstract | dc.description.abstract | Twenty percent of patients with chronic hepatitis C
evolve to cirrhosis in 10 to 20 years. The degree of steatosis and hepatic iron stores in liver
biopsy increase the risk. Age, high body mass index, diabetes mellitus and alcohol consumption
are factors associated to the severity of liver damage. Aim: To study the association of steatosis
and increased iron stores in the liver biopsy and age, overweight, alcohol consumption and
diabetes with the severity of liver damage in patients with hepatitis C virus infection. Patients
and methods: Retrospective study of 84 liver biopsies of patients with chronic infection with
hepatitis C virus were studied. The pathological appearance was classified as stage I when
chronic hepatitis with mild activity without fibrosis was observed; as stage II when moderate
chronic hepatitis with mild fibrosis was observed and as stage III when there was a moderate
chronic hepatitis with fibrosis or cirrhosis. The amount of steatosis and iron deposition in the
biopsy were also assessed. Results: Forty one percent of patients were in stage I, 32% in stage II
and 27% in stage III. Patients in stage I were younger than those in stages II and III (40.7 and
52.2 years respectively, p <0,001). No association between the severity of liver damage and the
degree of steatosis, hemosiderosis, body mass index or alcohol intake, was observed. The
frecuency of diabetes mellitus increased along with pathological staging (3, 15 and 30% in
stages I, II and III, respectively, p <0,05). Conclusions: This study confirms that severity of
chronic hepatitis C is associated with age and the presence of diabetes mellitus. | en |
