Whole stimulated salivary flow in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection

Abstract

Background: Salivary gland disorders have been included among the extra-hepatic manifestations related to HCV infection.

Methods: The whole stimulated salivary flow rate (spitting technique) was studied in 74 HCV infected patients to evaluate salivary gland dysfunction.

Results: The salivary flow of the patients with chronic HCV infection was similar to that of the healthy controls. The association between subjective xerostomia salivary flow was seen to be very weak. No significant associations were found between salivary flow and age, sex, risk factor of acquired infection, ALT, AST, GGT, ALP values, time lapsed since the diagnosis or HCV-RNA detection in saliva.

Conclusions: Although the functional repercussion of hepatitis C related lymphocytic sialoadenitis remains unclear, we did not find a significant reduction in the whole stimulated salivary flow in HCV infected patients.