Risk factors for liver fibrosis progression in patients with chronic hepatitis C.
The major hepatological consequence of HCV infection is the progression to cirrhosis and its potential complications. Several factors have been clearly shown to be associated with fibrosis progression rate: duration of infection, age, male sex, consumption of alcohol, HIV coinfection and low CD4 count. As age and duration of infection increases, the risk of fibrosis increases and the impact of treatment (IFN) decreases. In conclusion, fibrosis progression has a progressive acceleration, sex, age and consumption of alcohol are strongly involved in this progression; the possibility to assess with non-aggressive biochemical markers the fibrosis stage will probably allow in the future to identify other factors related to fibrosis progression.
de Torres
Mercedes
M
Service d'Hépato-Gastroentérologie Groupe, Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtriére, 47-83 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75651 Paris Cedex 13, France.
Poynard
Thierry
T
D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018450:Disease Progression; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D007372:Interferons / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D012307:Risk Factors; D019562:Viral Load
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D007372:Interferons