Liver steatosis associated with chronic hepatitis C

Abstract

Hepatic steatosis is a common histological finding in chronic liver diseases. One of the pathological entities in which hepatic steatosis has been found is chronic hepatitis C. The prevalence of steatosis in these patients ranges from 40% to 86%, with an average of 55%, which is two times higher than the steatosis seen in adults uninfected with hepatitis C. Many studies have shown that hepatic steatosis is a medical condition that may progress to steatohepatitis, progressive hepatic failure, hepatic cirrhosis, and is a risk factor for development of hepatocellular carcinoma. We have proposed to evaluate the severity of steatosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C and to correlate it with necroinflammatory processes and fibrosis. We included 259 patients diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C and proven histological steatosis. Age of patients with hepatic steatosis varied from 20 to 69 years. Most cases of steatosis associated with chronic hepatitis C (47.87%) were diagnosed in the age group 50-59 years. Of 259 patients, 141 (54.44%) were female and 118 (45.56%) male. Slight steatosis was identified in 130 cases (50.19%), moderate fatty changes were present in 54 (20.85%) patients and severe steatosis in 75 (28.96%) patients. The appearance of steatosis was macrovesicular and predominantly affected the third zone of the hepatic lobe. Most cases of hepatic steatosis were associated with necroinflammatory activity and low and moderate fibrosis. Cases of marked steatosis associated with intense activity accounted for about 10%, while marked steatosis was associated with severe fibrosis in less than 5% of cases.