Abstract :
Background: There are few information related to the natural history of HCV infection in CRF pa-
tients. Dialysis patients generally have higher morbidity and mortality rates than those of the general population, due to their age and comorbid conditions. Thus, the long term consequences of HCV infection in these groups of patients are difficult to establish.
Objective: The study aims to assess the clinical, biological, virological and histological features in patients with CRF attending Siriraj Hospital, and to identify the predictors associated with liver fibrosis.
Patients and Methods: The medical files of all chronic hepatitis C with CRF who underwent liver biopsy at our unit between 1995 and 2004 were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic characteristics , risk factors for HCV infection, alcohol history, duration from the onset of HCV and CRF up to the time of liver biopsy and history of previous renal transplantation (RT). Patient were then categorized into 2 groups : group 1; no fibrosis and group 2; fibrosis score ?1. Percutaneous liver biopsy was performed and used the grading and staging system scored quantitatively by Knodell’s scoring system. The baseline characteristics of all patients were reported as median [min, max], median +/- SD and proportions. For all analyses, p values of ?0.05 were considered to be statistically significant.
Results: The mean age of 15 CHC with CRF patients was 43.6 years. The male:female ratio was 9:5.
Seven percent of patients had history of alcohol abuse. The risk factors of CHC infection were identified in 11 of 15 patients (7 blood transfusion, 3 tattooing, 1 injection drug use), and the mean time from the possible exposure to HCV to liver biopsy was 10.5 years. Comparison between the group without liver fibrosis [10/15; (66%)] and the group with fibrosis [5/15; (34%)], revealed no significant differences between both groups with regard to age, gender, history of alcohol drinking, duration from the possible exposure to HCV to liver biopsy and the duration from the diagnosis of CRF to liver biopsy. Patients with liver fibrosis had longer duration from possible exposure to HCV than patients without fibrosis.
Conclusion: In our study, there was no significant relationship between fibrosis in the liver biopsy
specimens and other parameters, except for the serum albumin and the platelet levels.
[Thai J Gastroenterol 2005; 6(3): 131-136] |
file/Thai-Journal-of-gastroenterology-vol-6-no-3-3435451.pdf