1. Drinking habits of subjects with hepatitis C virus-related chronic liver disease: prevalence and effect on clinical, virological and pathological aspects.
- Author
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Loguercio C, Di Pierro M, Di Marino MP, Federico A, Disalvo D, Crafa E, Tuccillo C, Baldi F, and del VecchioBlanco C
- Subjects
- Adult, Aged, Alcohol Drinking epidemiology, Alcoholism epidemiology, Antiviral Agents therapeutic use, Biomarkers blood, Female, Hepacivirus metabolism, Hepatitis C, Chronic drug therapy, Hepatitis C, Chronic epidemiology, Humans, Interferons therapeutic use, Italy epidemiology, Liver Cirrhosis drug therapy, Male, Middle Aged, Statistics, Nonparametric, Temperance psychology, gamma-Glutamyltransferase blood, Alcohol Drinking psychology, Alcoholism psychology, Hepatitis C, Chronic psychology, Liver Cirrhosis psychology
- Abstract
Alcohol changes the progression of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related chronic liver disease and may affect the outcome of interferon therapy. The ethanol intake of 245 patients with biopsy-proven chronic hepatitis C with or without cirrhosis, its interaction with laboratory and histological parameters common to alcohol and HCV-mediated liver damage, and its effects on therapy were evaluated. The results show that 60-70% of subjects regularly consumed alcohol (median intake >40 g/day in about 30%). Less than 50% stopped drinking after being diagnosed as having liver disease. Ethanol intake affected: fibrosis, especially in women, HCV RNA levels, which were significantly lower in abstainers than in drinkers (0.6 +/- 0.3 vs 6.9 +/- 5.9 Eq/ml x10(6); P < 0.01), and response to interferon therapy. The number of responders decreased as ethanol intake increased. There were less abstainers than drinkers among non-responders (10.7% vs 63.1% respectively; P < 0.001). Data indicate that alcohol will induce and worsen liver damage and, in subjects with chronic liver disease who continue to drink, adversely affect their response to treatment.
- Published
- 2000
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