Search results for "HEPATITIS C VIRUS"
showing 10 items of 403 documents
Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase homozygosis and low-density lipoproteins in patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C
2012
Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase status, homocysteine and lipoproteins levels have been associated with severity of disease and both rapid and sustained virological response (SVR) in patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C (CHC). We aimed to assess the association of homocysteine and MTHFR status with serum cholesterol levels and their potential links to both histological findings and virological response, in patients with genotype 1 hepatitis C virus (HCV). A total of 119 consecutive patients were evaluated by biopsy and metabolic measurements. A total of 103 healthy blood donors were used as controls. Serum homocysteine and MTHFR C677T mutation were also evaluated. All patients un…
Immunological alterations in hepatitis C virus infection
2013
A higher prevalence of immunological processes has recently been reported in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, focusing the attention of physicians and researchers on the close association between HCV and immune disorders. HCV lymphotropism represents the most important step in the pathogenesis of virus-related immunological diseases and experimental, virologic, and clinical evidence has demonstrated a trigger role for HCV both in systemic autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren syndrome, hemolytic anemia and severe thrombocytopenia, and in organ-specific autoimmune diseases, such as autoimmune hepatitis, thyroid disorders and diabetes. This review will out…
Management of anemia induced by triple therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C: Challenges, opportunities and recommendations
2013
SummaryThe addition of protease inhibitors, boceprevir or telaprevir, to peginterferon+ribavirin (PegIFN/RBV) increases the frequency as well as the severity, and hence, clinical relevance of anemia, which has now become one of the major complications associated with triple therapy. Most significant factors associated with anemia in patients receiving triple therapy include older age, lower body mass index (BMI), advanced fibrosis, and lower baseline hemoglobin. The variability in inosine triphosphate pyrophosphatase (ITPA) gene, which encodes a protein that hydrolyses inosine triphosphate (ITP), has been identified as an essential genetic factor for anemia both in dual and triple therapy. …
Hepatitis C virus and the controversial role of the interferon sensitivity determining region in the response to interferon treatment
2008
The degree of variability of the interferon sensitivity determining region (ISDR) in the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome has been postulated to predict the response to interferon therapy, mainly in patients infected with subtype 1b, although this prediction has been the subject of a long controversy. This prediction has been tested by analyzing a cohort of 67 Spanish patients infected with HCV genotype 1, 23 of which were infected with subtype 1a and 44 with subtype 1b. A sample previous to therapy with α-interferon plus ribavirin was obtained and several clones (between 25 and 96) including the ISDR were sequenced from each patient. A significant correlation between mutations at the ISDR an…
Hepatitis viruses: live and let die.
2007
Viral hepatitis is a diffuse inflammatory reaction of the liver caused by hepatotropic viruses. Among the hepatitis viruses, only hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus are able to persist in the host and cause chronic hepatitis. In the course of persistent infection, inflammation forms the pathogenetic basis of chronic hepatitis that can lead to nodular fibrosis, which can progress to cirrhosis and, eventually, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Of the different antiviral defense systems employed by the host, apoptosis significantly contributes to the prevention of viral replication, dissemination, and persistence. Pathomorphologic studies have shown acidophilic bodies and hepatocyte dropout…
Relación entre la hepatitis crónica vírica B y/o C y el liquen plano bucal
2004
Introducción: La hepatopatía crónica es una patología producida, principalmente, por la ingesta alcohólica y por la infección de los virus de la hepatitis B y/o C. En los últimos años se ha discutido ampliamente la posible asociación entre la hepatopatía crónica y el liquen plano bucal. Recientemente, se ha especulado que la asociación entre liquen plano bucal y la enfermedad hepática tiene una base de origen vírica. Material y método: El objetivo de este estudio transversal emparejado es conocer si existe relación entre las hepatitis víricas B y/o C crónicas y el liquen plano bucal. Para ello, se seleccionaron dos grupos de 100 individuos cada uno: un grupo de casos, formado por pacientes …
Persistent expression of hepatitis C virus genome in primary tumor and adrenal metastasis of a hepatocellular carcinoma developed in a non-cirrhotic …
1996
To the Editor: There is increasing evidence that chronic infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients seronegative for hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen (HBsAg). In western countries, HCCs occur in anti-HCV positive patients mostly in association with cirrhosis, which can be considered as a precancerous condition (1). However, there are rare cases of HCC that were found in anti-HCV positive patients without pre-existing liver cirrhosis (2). We report here the detection of HCV RNA in a primary HCC derived from an HCV-infected patient with a non-cirrhotic liver and its persistent expression in an adrenal metastasis that developed…
Critical reappraisal of risk factors for occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with hepatitis C virus.
2011
More than one and half of current cases of hepatocellular carcinoma in the US, Europe, and Japan are attributable to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. HCV is also the primary cause of death in patients with HCV-related cirrhosis, with annual incidences of 0.5%-5% in Europe and 4%-10% in Asia. Screening is based on serum alpha-fetoprotein determination and liver ultrasound scan, but the sensitivity of the former is far less than optimal, and screening intervals are still poorly defined for the latter. Risk factors related to the host or environment, or both, appear to be more relevant than viral factors, such as HCV genotype, in determining disease progression to cirrhosis and cancer, and i…
The long-term course of chronic hepatitis B
1999
The aim of this study was to assess the long-term outcome in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected patients according to HBV, hepatitis C virus (HCV), and hepatitis D virus (HDV) replication, focusing on survival, liver failure, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A cohort of 302 hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive subjects (mean age, 34 +/- 15.3 years; male/female 214/88; 39 subjects under 14 years) with biopsy-proven chronic hepatitis (86 with cirrhosis) was prospectively assessed, with a median follow-up of 94 +/- 37.6 months. One hundred nine patients received interferon alfa (IFN). At baseline, 86 subjects (28.5%) were hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive (wild-type HBV), 80 (26.…
Effectiveness of a screening program for HBV, HCV, and HIV infections in African migrants to Sicily
2021
BACKGROUND Migrants from Africa are vulnerable to viral infections during their journey. METHODS Migrants who arrived in western Sicily were offered early screening for hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. A questionnaire was administered to evaluate risk factors, and antiviral therapy was offered to subjects with active infection. A multiple regression analysis and adjusted odds ratio were obtained to evaluate risk factors. RESULTS Overall, 2,639 of 2,751 (95.9%) migrants who arrived between 2015 and 2017 accepted screening and 1,911 (72.4%) completed the questionnaire. HBsAg was positive in 257 (9.7%) migrants, 24 (0.9%) were …