ABSTRACT
Aims and methods: Toexaminetheassociation between smoking and histological liver lesions in chronic hepatitis C, we studied 50 patients [mean age 45.9 years] with laboratory proven chronic hepatitis C [HCV Ab. by ELISA]. Daily tobacco consumption before liver biopsy was recorded as the number of cigarettes smoked daily. The duration of tobacco consumption was recorded by years of smoking. Liver biopsy specimens were graded for histological activity and fibrosis according to the METAVIR scoring system
Results: the proportion of patients with mild, moderate ,and marked histological activity [,Al,A2,and A3] increased gradually with daily tobacco consumption: from 16 patients with marked histological activity grade A3 : '5[50% of heavey smokers >15 cig/day] comparing to, 7 [3 1. 9 % of 1-15 cig/days]and4[22.2% with no history of smoking] however, 17 patients of grade A2 moderate histological activity:6[33.3% non smokers],7[31.9% smoked 1 -15cig/day],and 4[40% smoked>15cig/day],lastly from 17patients of grade Al mild histological activity:8[44.'4%of non smokers],8[36.4% of 1-15 cig/day smokers],and l[10%of >15cig/day smokers][p<0.05].which mean ;a significance difference with smoking groups rather than other in grading of histological activity
Conclusion: This study suggests that smoking could aggravate the histological activity of chronic hepatitis C and that patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection should be advised to stop smoking.Abbreviations: HCV, hepatitis C virus; CCL4; carbon tetrachloride; HBs Ag, Hepatitis B surface antigen
ABSTRACT
This study included 21 patients with chronic active hepatitis C virus [CAM. CV] Group I and 18 patients with liver cirrhosis group II, both proved by liver biopsy. Only patient with normal serum creatinine were included in this study, and urinary creatinine was used to normalize the urinary TGF - B1 level.Twenty healthy individuals of comparable age and sex constituted the control group.This study showed that the urinary TGF-BI level was significantly higher in group 1[5.52 +/- 6.63ng/mg creatinine] than in the control group [0.185 +/- 0.15 ng.mg creatinine] ,with P value < 0.001 . As regards the Histological Activity Index [HAI], there was a significant difference between urinary level of TGF-Bi in patients with mild disease [2.8 +/- 2.4 ng/rng creatinine] and those with moderate to marked disease [11.3 +/- 8.5 ng/mg creatinine] with P value <0.05 . Urinary level of TGF-BI was also significantly higher in group II [3.45 +/- 4.18 ng/mg creatinine] than in the control group [0.185 +/- 0.15 ng/mg creatinine] with P value < 0.001. It was also higher in cirrhoticpatients with Child - B to C [9.3 +/- 4.8 ng/mg creatinine] than in those with Child - A [1.81 +/- 1.86 ng/ing creatinine] with P value < 0.05 .In conclusion, urinary TGF - B1 level may be used as a marker for hepatic fibrogenesis , and a higher urinary TGF - Bl levels correlate with more severe liver disease