[Role of hepatitis C virus superinfection in hepatic pathologic changes of patients with chronic hepatitis B: a retrospective short-term and long-term comparative study].
OBJECTIVE
To observe the effect of hepatitis C virus (HCV) superinfection on the short-term and long-term hepatic pathological changes in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).


METHODS
HCV-RNA of twice corresponding period serum samples was detected via reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay from 230 patients with CHB for whom liver biopsy was performed at an interval of 0.5-15 years, respectively. The hepatic pathological changes of the patients with CHB who were serum HCV-RNA positive at the beginning of observation and persistently positive between the starting and ending of observation were respectively compared with those of serum HCV-RNA negative and persistently negative patients.


RESULTS
41 patients (17.83%) were positive for serum HCV-RNA at the beginning of observation. There were significant differences in the severity of hepatic inflammatory activity grade and fibrosis stage between serum HCV-RNA positive and negative patients with CHB (P < 0.05). Twenty-nine patients were persistently positive for serum HCV-RNA in the beginning and end of observation. Compared with persistently negative patients who were 116 patients selected from the above-mentioned 230 patients and they were comparable with HCV-RNA persistently positive patients in mean follow-up time, age and sex, the long-term progression of hepatic inflammatory activity grade and fibrosis stage in persistently positive patients were more speedy (P < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
HCV superinfection worsens the hepatic pathological changes of patients with CHB and speeds up its progression.
Shang
Qing-hua
QH
Institute of Liver Disease, Jinan Military Region, The No 88 Hospital of the People's Liberation Army, Taian, China. shangqh@163.com
Yu
Jian-guo
JG
Xu
Chuan-zhen
CZ
Xiao
De-ming
DM
Yin
Yan-ming
YM
Chen
Chong-xing
CX
Zhang
Guang-shu
GS
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000502:physiology*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000502:physiology*; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015163:Superinfection / Q000821:virology; D013997:Time Factors; D019562:Viral Load
D012367:RNA, Viral