RESUMO
Recent studies have suggested that bacterial coinfection with Helicobacter species in patients already infected with hepatitis C virus [HCV] could be involved in the development of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma [HCC]. A retrospective study was performed in order to explore the association between Helicobacter pylori and HCV in hepatic tissue of Egyptian patients with chronic hepatitis C and hepatocellular carcinoma. The presence of Helicobacter pylori was tested by immunohistochemistry on liver samples from two groups of patients; chronic hepatitis C [group I, n = 45] and hepatocellular carcinoma [group II, n = 15]. Group I [chronic hepatitis C] involved 31 males and 14 females [male/female, 2.2:1]. Their age ranged from 27 to 58 years with a mean of 45.8 +/- 7.0 years and HCC group involved 11 males and 4 females [male/female, 2.8:1]. Their age ranged from 48 to 78 years with a mean of 60.2 +/- 10.0 years. Immunostaining revealed H. pylori microorganisms in 33/45 biopsies [73.3%] of chronic hepatitis C group and 5/15 [33.3%] of HCC group [p = 0.005]. H. pylori organisms were present in liver tissues of HCV and HCC patients with significantly higher proportion in the former. Further studies are needed to ascertain its possible role, if ever, in the pathogenesis of cirrhosis and hepatic malignancy in Egyptian patients