Commentary: Iron metabolism in hepatitis C infection

Abstract

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections have started to decline, but up to 10,000 deaths each year are the consequence of chronic liver disease, following the infection. Laboratory testing identifies HCV-infected individuals using positive recombinant immunoblot assays to detect the presence of the antibody; the diagnosis is confirmed by detecting HCV RNA in serum. HCV-infected patients who have large accumulations of hepatic iron have not responded well to interferon therapy, compared to patients with normal hepatic iron stores. Physicians who treat patients infected with HCV should be aware of the detrimental effect of excess liver iron on interferon therapy. The degree of hepatic iron overload should be assessed and the reason for the excess iron should be investigated. Phlebotomy is the most practical method for iron removal and is well tolerated by patients with HCV infection.