title: [Factors associated with severe evolutive forms of chronic infection with hepatitis C virus].
abstract: To assess the factors associated with the development of moderate and severe fibrosis, the medical records of 426 patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection attended at the Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Clinic of the University of São Paulo Faculty of Medicine from January 1 to December 31, 2000 were reviewed. Of the patients included in the study, 56.3% were male and 43.7%, female. Patient age ranged from 18 to 69 years. Blood transfusion was the most frequent form of hepatitis C virus transmission, detected in 128 (30%) cases, and no risk factor was detected in 187 (43.9%) patients. Patient distribution regarding architectural changes observed in a liver biopsy was: grade 0 (14.1%); grade 1 (51.2%); grade 2 (20.6%); grade 3 (8%); grade 4 (6.1%). Multivariate analysis revealed a positive correlation between fibrosis severity and age greater than 40 years at the time of the liver biopsy, serum albumin levels below normal lower limits, gamma-glutamyltransferase levels equal to or higher than twice upper normal limits, platelet numbers less than 150,000/mm(3) and high necroinflammatory activity. The data obtained were inconclusive regarding a possible correlation between severity of fibrosis and alcoholism.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Clínica Médica, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG. romes33@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Romes Rufino
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: de Vasconcelos
authors.forename: Fátima Mitiko
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Tengan
authors.forename: Norma de Paula
authors.initials: Nde P
authors.lastname: Cavalheiro
authors.forename: Karim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ibrahim
authors.forename: Hayde
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: Antonio Alci
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Barone
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index