THE INFLUENCE OF STEATOSIS AND CONJUGATE FACTORS OF RESPONSE TO ANTIVIRAL TREATMENT IN CRONIC HEPATITIS C
Corresponding author:
[email protected]
Accepted
28 March 2026
Available Online
15 March 2016
Abstract
HEPATITIS C VIRUS (HCV) IS A MAJOR CAUSE OF CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE WORLDWIDE. AN INCREASED PREVALENCE OF STEATOSIS IN PATIENTS WITH HCV IS WELL ESTABLISHED. MOST STUDIES HAVE REPORTED APPROXIMATELY 50% PREVALENCE OF STEATOSIS AMONG PATIENTS UNDERGOING A LIV ER BIOPSY BECAUSE OF HCV. IN COMPARISON, AMONG PATIENTS WITH AUTOIMMUNE HEPATITIS AND HEPATITIS B (HBV), STEATOSIS IS NOT COMMONLY OBSERVED. HEPATITIS C VIRUS (HCV) INFECTION IS AN IMPORTANT RISK FACTOR FOR INSULIN RESISTANCE (IR). THE LATTER IS THE PAT HOGENIC FOUNDATION UNDERLYING METABOLIC SYNDROME, STEATOSIS AND CIRRHOSIS, AND POSSIBLY HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA (HCC). WHEREAS THE OVERALL PREVALENCE OF IR IS 10% -25% OF THE POPULATION, THE PREVALENCE IR IN HCV INFECTION REACHES FIGURES RANGING BETWEEN 3 0% TO 70%. OBESITY AND/OR STEATOSIS IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HCV HAS CONSISTENTLY BEEN SHOWN TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH AN IMPAIRED RESPONSE TO ANTIVIRAL TREATMENT WITH INTERFERON THERAPY. IT IS NOT CLEAR WHETHER THIS ASSOCIATION BETWEEN OVERWEIGHT OR OBESITY AND POOR RESPONSE TO ANTIVIRAL THERAPY IS DUE TO STEATOSIS AND MIGHT NOT ONLY BE LINKED TO OBESITY. ACCUMULATING EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT STEATOSIS PLAYS A ROLE IN HCV -RELATED FIBROSIS, AND SUPPORT FOR THIS ALSO COMES FROM STUDIES SHOWING THAT WEIGHT REDUCTION IN THESE PATIENTS LEADS NOT ONLY TO A DECREASE IN STEATOSIS BUT ALSO IMPROVEMENT IN FIBROSIS SCORE.
Keywords
HEPATITIS C VIRUS
STEATOSIS
NON -ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER
INSULIN
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