[An evaluation of the degree of the morphological activity and the stage of the process in patients with chronic liver diseases caused by coinfection with the hepatitis B, C and/or D viruses]

Abstract

In order to determine the differences in histological grade of activity and the stage of fibrosis in patients with chronic liver diseases due to multiple hepatitis virus infection and single infection of HBV and HCV we assessed the 68 liver biopsies samples according to Knodell and Scheuer scoring systems. Retrospectively, 216 liver biopsies reports from consecutive patients with chronic viral hepatitis were analysed. Histological activity index (HAI) in HBV/HCV coinfection was higher than in a single HCV infection; it did not differ in groups of HBV/HBC and HBV. The difference was due to the interface hepatitis; lobular activity and portal inflammation were the same. In HDV superinfection HAI was high due to both portal-periportal and lobular hepatitis. HAI depended mainly upon the presence of HBV replication; in patients with chronic hepatitis C with HBV-DNA HAI was also higher than in single HCV group. No difference in HAI between triple and dual hepatitis virus infection was found. In patients with HBV/HCV coinfection and especially with HDV superinfection the advanced stages occurred more than often than in patients with single infections.