Dietary iron restriction improves aminotransferase levels in chronic hepatitis C patients.
OBJECTIVE
It is generally accepted that iron overload plays an important role in the pathogenesis of liver cell injury in chronic hepatitis C. The present study was undertaken to evaluate whether low-iron diet improves liver function tests in patients with chronic hepatitis C.


METHODS
Seventeen patients with chronic hepatitis C (13 men and 4 women, 54 +/- 14 years old) that did not respond to, or were unsuitable for interferon therapy, were enrolled in this study. All patients had been pretreated with ursodeoxycholic acid for more than 12 months before the beginning of the study. Dietary iron intake was restricted to less than 7 mg/day, and the patients were followed up for 18 months.


RESULTS
Mean daily iron intakes, calculated from food records, were 5.9 and 6.4 mg after 6 and 12 months, respectively. The mean serum ferritin decreased significantly from 362 ng/mL at entry to 179 ng/mL after 18 months. The serum unsaturated iron binding capacity level increased significantly from 163 micrograms/dL at entry to 203 micrograms/dL after 18 months. The serum aspartate aminotransferase decreased significantly from 62 IU/L at entry to 47 IU/L after 18 months, and serum alanine aminotransferase from 68 IU/L at entry to 53 IU/L after 18 months. Serum iron, hepatitis C virus-RNA titer and platelet count remained unchanged throughout the study.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that iron-restricted diet may be an important therapeutic modality for improving liver injury in patients with chronic hepatitis C.
Iwasa
Motoh
M
Third Department of Internal Medicine, Mie University School of Medicine, Edobashi 2-174, Tsu City, Mie 514-8507, Japan. motoh@clin.medic.mie-u.ac.jp
Kaito
Masahiko
M
Ikoma
Jiro
J
Kobayashi
Yoshinao
Y
Tanaka
Yuji
Y
Higuchi
Kunihiro
K
Takeuchi
Keisuke
K
Iwata
Kazuko
K
Watanabe
Shozo
S
Adachi
Yukihiko
Y
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000201:enzymology*; D006801:Humans; D019266:Iron, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000637:Transaminases / Q000097:blood*; D014580:Ursodeoxycholic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use
D019266:Iron, Dietary; D014580:Ursodeoxycholic Acid; D005293:Ferritins; D000637:Transaminases