Relationship between histological prognosis of chronic hepatitis C and amount of hepatitis C virus core protein in serum.
BACKGROUND
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) viraemia is one of the factors for histological prognosis of chronic hepatitis C.


METHODS
One hundred and thirty-five patients who received hepatic biopsies twice at intervals of 5 years or longer were followed up for a mean of 9.7 +/- 4.0 years were studied retrospectively. The amount of HCV viraemia present was measured as the concentration of HCV core protein by using the fluorescence enzyme immunoassay method.


RESULTS
Multiple-regression analysis, using deterioration of the histological stage as a dependent variable, showed that greater age (P = 0.041), higher stage of hepatic histology at the start of follow up (P = 0.029), and higher serum concentration of core protein (P < 0.001) were independent factors affecting the deterioration of the liver's histological stage. At follow up, no significant difference in histological stage was seen between patients with serum HCV core protein > or = 100 pg/mL (n = 60) and those with serum core protein < 100 pg/mL (n = 75). The histological grade in patients with high serum core-protein levels tended to be significantly worse and the deterioration rate of the histological stage was significantly higher than in those with low HCV core protein levels (68 vs 35%, P < 0.001). The mutation rate of the HCV envelope-2/non-structural 1 (E2/NS1) nucleotide region was compared in two patients who had high serum concentrations of HCV core protein and whose histological stage had deteriorated with two patients who had low serum concentrations of the core protein and whose histological stages remained unchanged. No significant difference in E2/NS1 mutation was found.


CONCLUSIONS
The amount of HCV viraemia was suggested to be a significant factor for determining histological outcome in patients with chronic hepatitis C. The mutation rate in the E2/NS1 region did not seem to be associated with the prognosis of chronic hepatitis C.
Iijima
A
A
Second Department of Internal Medicine, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan.
Tanaka
E
E
Kobayashi
M
M
Yagi
S
S
Mizokami
M
M
Kiyosawa
K
K
D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001706:Biopsy; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000737:chemistry; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D018936:Hepatitis C Antigens / Q000097:blood*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017354:Point Mutation; D011379:Prognosis; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D015415:Biomarkers; D017931:DNA Primers; D018936:Hepatitis C Antigens; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region; C097010:NS2 protein, Hepatitis C virus; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014758:Viral Core Proteins; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins; C069130:nucleocapsid protein, Hepatitis C virus