Pathology of hepatitis C.
The basic morphological patterns of acute or chronic viral hepatitides are very similar, irrespective of the causative hepatitis viruses A, B, C, D or E. In addition, however, acute and chronic hepatitis C shows characteristic, although not pathognomonic histological changes. These consist of lymphoid aggregates in portal tracts, sometimes with germinal centers, damage of bile duct epithelium, and micro- or macrovesicular steatosis of hepatocytes. A combination of two of these three characteristic alterations is seen in over half of the patients with chronic hepatitis C and is helpful in the histological diagnosis of the disease.
Gerber
M A
MA
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112.
D000208:Acute Disease; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology