ABSTRACT
Hepatitis C virus [HCV] infection is associated with a wide series of extra- hepatic manifestations. Pulmonary involvement is one of the extrahepatic manifestations of chronic hepatitis C virus [HCV] infection. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of HCV; infection and the degree of liver dysfunction in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD]. This study was conducted on COPD patients. They were selected from outpatient chest clinic in the Menoufia University Hospital. They were classified into 2 groups the first group COPD patients [n = 40] without hepatitis C and the second group COPD patients with chronic hepatitis C. Second group [COPD with HCV] classified into 3 subgroups according Child-Pugh classification to determine the degree of liver insufficiency. Group IIA: patients Child-Pugh [A], group IIB: patients Child-Pugh [B] and group IIC: patients Child-Pugh [C]. The following pulmonary function parameters were recorded: Forced Expiratory Volume in the first second [FEV1], Forced Expiratory Volume percent [FEV1/FVC%], Forced Expiratory Flow 25-75% [FEF 25-75%] and Maximal Voluntary Ventilation [MVV]. The study included 80 patients with COPD, 40 patients without chronic HCV infection [group I], and 40 patients with chronic HBV infection [group II].COPD patients with HCV infection have increased deterioration in pulmonary function [FEV1, FEV1/FVC, FEF 25-75% and MVV] than COPD patients without HCV infection. Also there were significant decreases in pulmonary function tests [FEV1, FEV1/FVC, FEF 25-75% and MVV] in group II subgroups IIA, IIB and IIC according to the degree of decompensation. Patients with COPD with HCV infection, have increased deterioration in pulmonary function than patients with COPD without HCV infection and the deterioration increases with hepatitis decompensation