Relationship between HBV markers and heroin as a cause of liver injury in drug addicts.

Fifty liver biopsies from heroin addicts on methadone maintenance were studied for histological features. The relationship between hepatic damage, HBV markers and the length of drug abuse was analysed. Infiltration was found in 95.6% of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive patients and in 50% of hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) positive and HBV negative patients. The length of drug abuse showed a strong direct correlation with vacuolar degeneration (P less than 0.001) and an inverse correlation with fibrosis (P less than 0.05).