title: Are chronic hepatitis C viral infections more benign in patients with hemophilia?
abstract: 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.
authors: Liver Disease Unit, Department of Medicine and Liver Unit, Ziv Medical Center, Technion Institute, Haifa, Israel.
authors: Nimer
authors: N
authors: Assy
authors: Norman
authors: N
authors: Pettigrew
authors: Sam S
authors: SS
authors: Lee
authors: Rabindra K
authors: RK
authors: Chaudhary
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Johnston
authors: Gerry Y
authors: GY
authors: Minuk
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases