Hepatitis

6ARTÍCULO DE INVESTIGACIÓN Hepatitis crónica por virus C: factores asociados a la severidad del daño histológico Factors associated with the severity of liver damage in chronic hepatitis C IvonneOrellana N1, Jaime Poniachik T1, Gladys Smok S3, Ana María Madrid S1, Alejandra Menéndez A2, Eduardo Tobar A2, Javier Brahm B1,4.Sección de Gastroenterología1, Departamentos de Medicina2 y de AnatomíaPatológica3, Hospital Clínico Universidad de Chile. Departamento de Gastroenterología, Clínica Las Condes4. Santiago, Chile.Correspondencia a :Background: Twenty percent of patients with chronichepatitis C evolve to cirrhosis in 10 to 20 years. The degree of steatosis and hepatic iron stores in liver biopsy increase the risk. Age, high body mass index, diabetes mellitus and alcohol consumptionare factors associated to the severity of liver damage.Aim: To study the association of steatosis and increased iron stores in the liver biopsy and age, overweight, alcohol consumption and diabeteswith the severity of liver damage in patients with hepatitis C virus infection. Patients and methods: Retrospective study of 84 liver biopsies of patients with chronic infection with hepatitis C viruswere studied. The pathological appearance was classified as stage I when chronic hepatitis with mild activity without fibrosis was observed; as stage II when moderate chronic hepatitis with mildfibrosis was observed and as stage III when there was a moderate chronic hepatitis with fibrosis or cirrhosis. The amount of steatosis and iron deposition in the biopsy were alsoassessed. Results: Forty one percent of patients were in stage I, 32% in stage II and 27% in stage III. Patients in stage I were younger than those in stages II and III (40.7 and 52.2 years respectively, p 27 kg/m2), deobesidad, de diabetes mellitus (definida por glicemia en ayunas >110 mg/dl) y con la ingesta de alcohol (mayor o menor a 40 g/día). Para el análisis de las múltiples variables entre la esteatosis y...