title: Progression of liver fibrosis in women infected with hepatitis C: long-term benefit of estrogen exposure.
abstract: Female sex is a protective factor for the progression of fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Experimental data suggest that estrogens may have an antifibrotic effect. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of past pregnancies, oral contraceptives, menopause, and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on liver fibrosis progression in HCV-infected women. Four hundred seventy-two HCV-infected women received a survey regarding prior pregnancies, menopause, and the use of oral contraceptives and HRT. The impact of these variables on liver fibrosis and its progression were evaluated using multivariate analyses considering all putative confounding factors. Two hundred one women completed the survey (43% response rate), 157 of whom had an estimated date of HCV infection (96 postmenopausal women, 96 women with previous pregnancies, and 105 women with past use of oral contraceptives). Through multivariate analyses, the estimated rate of fibrosis progression was higher in postmenopausal (P < .05) and nulliparous (P = .02) women and was associated with greater histological activity (P < .001). Prior use of oral contraceptives had no significant influence. Among postmenopausal women, the estimated rate of fibrosis progression (+/-SE) was lower in women who received HRT compared with untreated patients (0.099 +/- 0.016 vs. 0.133 +/- 0.006 METAVIR units/yr; P = .02) and was similar to that of premenopausal women (0.093 +/- 0.012 METAVIR units/yr; P value not significant). In conclusion, menopause appears to be associated with accelerated liver fibrosis progression in HCV-infected women, an effect that may be prevented by HRT. Pregnancies may have a beneficial impact on the long-term progression of liver fibrosis.
authors.affiliation: Service d'Hépato-Gastroentérologie, GH Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France. vdimartino@chu-besancon.fr
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Di Martino
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lebray
authors.forename: Robert P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Myers
authors.forename: Emmanuelle
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pannier
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Paradis
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Charlotte
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moussalli
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Thabut
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Buffet
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Poynard
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003276:Contraceptives, Oral / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018450:Disease Progression; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy; D004967:Estrogens / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000821:virology; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D003276:Contraceptives, Oral; D004967:Estrogens