title: Liver steatosis in chronic hepatitis C: a morphological sign suggesting infection with HCV genotype 3.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify factors associated with liver steatosis in chronic hepatitis C.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Occurrence and severity of liver steatosis in 254 chronic hepatitis C patients were compared with presence of alcohol abuse, body mass index (BMI) >26, history of intravenous drug addiction and hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype. Steatosis was found in 109 (43%) patients. The occurrence of steatosis was significantly associated with ongoing alcohol abuse (P=0.03) or HCV genotype 3 (P= 0.003), but not with BMI >26. A moderate to severe steatosis was present in 60% of patients infected with HCV genotype 3, irrespective of the presence of alcohol abuse, BMI >26 or history of intravenous drug addiction. Using a multivariable stepwise logistic regression analysis, infection with genotype 3 had an odds ratio (OR) of 10 (95% confidence interval (CI)=4.56-22) for a liver steatosis, whereas the presence of a cirrhosis at histology had an OR=0.256 (95% CI=0.07-0.92).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A moderate to severe degree of steatosis of the liver is a morphological sign suggestive of infection with HCV genotype 3, independent of other risk factors of a fatty liver, but it may disappear at late stages of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Pathology, University Hospital, 1 rue Michel Servet, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland. laura.rubbia-brandt@hcuge.ch
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rubbia-Brandt
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Leandro
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Spahr
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Giostra
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Quadri
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Malé
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Negro
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012307:Risk Factors; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral