Morphological characteristics of chronic hepatitis: a comparative study on Turkish patients.
BACKGROUND
Chronic hepatitis caused by hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus have characteristic histological features. We aimed to compare these histological features between two groups.


METHODS
We worked on two groups each contains 50 patients, that are serologically proven, have hepatitis B and hepatitis C. These patients were analysed according to the histological features which are more often seen in chronic hepatitis C.


RESULTS
We found higher percentage of lymphoid follicles and aggregates in portal tracts, bile duct damage or loss and lymphoreticular reaction in patients with chronic hepatitis C than chronic hepatitis B (44%-12%, 96%-14%, 84%-40%, respectively). We recorded most patients with severe portal tract inflammation were in group of chronic hepatitis C (86%). Bile duct loss wasn't observed in any patients with chronic hepatitis B, while it was present in 44% of chronic hepatitis C group. There was no significant difference between two hepatitis groups with regard to fatty change. 13 out of 14 patients, having all those above mentioned histological findings, diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C whereas only one patient had chronic hepatitis B.


CONCLUSIONS
Aggregates and follicles forming portal inflammation, lymphoreticular reaction together with bile duct damage, especially with bile duct loss strongly indicates presence of chronic hepatitis C.
Tuncer
Günay
G
Adnan Menderes University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Aydin, Turkiye. tuncergunay@yahoo.com
Erden
Esra
E
Elhan
Atilla Halil
AH
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000473:pathology*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged