title: [Significance of iron reduction for the therapy of chronic hepatitis C].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It has been established that many patients with chronic hepatitis C have elevated serum iron, feritin levels and iron deposites in the liver. Therefore, the liver damage due to hepatitis C virus may be aggravated with iron overload. In many studies higher levels of iron in the blood and the liver were connected with the decreased response to interferon-alfa therapy for chronic viral hepatitis C. Recent introduction of pegylated interferons plus ribavirin has improved the therapeutic response, so it is now possible to cure more than 50% of the patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three patients with chronic hepatitis C and iron overload were presented. Iron reduction therapy using phlebotomy or eritrocytapheresis with plasmapheresis was done at different times in regard to specific antiviral therapy or as a sole therapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It has been shown that iron reduction, sole or combined with antiviral therapy, led to the deacreased aminotransferase serum activity and might have slown down the evolution of chronic hepatitis C viral infection.
authors.affiliation: Vojnomedicinska akademija, Klinika za infektivne i tropske bolesti, Beograd.
authors.forename: Darko
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nozić
authors.forename: Bela
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Balint
authors.forename: Nebojsa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Stanković
authors.forename: Jovan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dimitrijević
authors.forename: Gorana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nesković
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D019190:Iron Overload / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D018962:Phlebotomy; D010956:Plasmapheresis