RESUMO
In this work thirty patients with chronic C virus positive for ELISA 3rd generation, class A child classification were classified into three groups according to HCV viraemia. The first group formed of 15 patients with mild viraemia, which HCV-RNA or viral load [25-50 X10 3 geno / ml]. The second group formed of 9 patients with moderate viraemia, which HCV-RNA or viral load [50-100 X 10 3 geno / ml]. The third group formed of 6 patients with high viraemia, which HCV-RNA or viral load [100-200 X 10 3 geno / ml]. All patients were subjected to history taking, clinical examinatioh and ultrasonography. The histological changes were present in the form of fatty changes with vacuoles of lipid between liver cells, lymphocyte cell infiltration and aggregation in the portal tracts. These histological changes increased parallel to increase HCV viraemia. The ultrastructural changes of the nucleus were in the form of chromatinic condensation on the inner surface of the nuclear membrane, irregularity of nuclear membrane and the nucleoli were prominent and eccentric in position. The mitochondria were swollen and elongated with decrease in number of cristae. T here were prominent proliferation of smooth endoplasmic reticulum and there was focally diffusely dilatation. There were interruption and fragmentation of endothelial cells lining the sinusoids. There was a reduction of hepatocyte microvilli projecting towards the sinusoids. The bile canaliculi showed dilatation and decrease in their microvilli lumen. Also, there was a dilatation in the intercellular Space. All histological and ultrastructural changes in all organelles of liver cell increased parallel to increase HCV viraemia