Are chronic hepatitis C viral infections more benign in patients with hemophilia?
OBJECTIVE
Cirrhosis is associated with thromboses of the intrahepatic vasculature. This raises the possibility that HCV infections in hemophiliacs may differ from those in non-hemophiliacs


METHODS
Liver biopsy findings from 12 hemophiliacs and 20 age- and gender-matched, non-hemophiliac controls with chronic hepatitis C viral (HCV) infections were compared for inflammatory activity and fibrosis.


RESULTS
The mean ages of hemophiliacs and controls were 35.0 +/- 3.0 yr and 39.6 +/- 5.6 yr, respectively (P= 0.2). Serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were lower (44 +/- 13 vs 70 +/- 43 U/L) and the duration of the partial thromboplastin (PTT) time longer (49.2 +/- 16.9 vs 31.2 +/- 1.2 s.) in hemophiliacs than in controls (P < 0.02 and <0.001, respectively). Six of the seven hemophiliac patients (86%) and 8/17 controls (46%) were infected with genotypes 1a or 1b with the remainder being infected with 2b, 3a, or 3b. Histological activity and fibrosis scores were significantly lower in hemophiliacs than in controls (1.9 +/- 0.6 vs 3.6 +/- 2.7 and 0.3 +/- 0.2 vs 1.5 +/- 1.5, P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). None of the hemophiliacs had histological evidence of advanced disease (bridging fibrosis and/or cirrhosis) as compared to 7/20 (30%) controls (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
HCV infections in hemophiliacs may be less severe than in HCV infected patients without hemophilia.
Assy
Nimer
N
Liver Disease Unit, Department of Medicine and Liver Unit, Ziv Medical Center, Technion Institute, Haifa, Israel.
Pettigrew
Norman
N
Lee
Sam S
SS
Chaudhary
Rabindra K
RK
Johnston
J
J
Minuk
Gerry Y
GY
D000328:Adult; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D001706:Biopsy; D005355:Fibrosis; D006467:Hemophilia A / Q000150:complications*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D010314:Partial Thromboplastin Time
D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases