title: Analysis of the sustained virological response in patients with chronic hepatitis C and liver steatosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chronic hepatitis C as well as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease are recognized as the main cause of liver disease in Western countries. It is common to see the concomitance of the diseases and the influence of steatosis in the sustained virological response of patients with hepatitis C virus.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Assess the sustained virological response in chronic hepatitis C patients according to the presence of liver steatosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred sixty patients with chronic hepatitis C were retrospectively evaluated. Demographic data such as gender, age, body mass index, presence of diabetes mellitus and systemic arterial hypertension, virus genotype and use of pegylated interferon were analyzed, as was the staging of fibrosis and the presence of steatosis at histology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most patients were male (57.5%), with a mean age of 48 ± 9.7 years. The most frequent genotype observed was 3 (56.9%) and, in the histological evaluation, steatosis was observed in 65% of the patients (104/160). Sustained virological response in patients with steatosis occurred in 38.5%, and in 32.1% in patients without steatosis (P = 0.54). When we analyzed possible factors associated with the presence of steatosis, only body mass index and systemic arterial hypertension revealed a significant association. When the factors that influenced sustained virological response were evaluated in a logistic regression, genotype and use of pegylated interferon proved to be independent factors associated to the response.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the evaluated patients the presence of liver steatosis did not influence the sustained virological response of patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with interferon and ribavirin.
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology and Hepatology Unit of Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil.
authors.forename: Leonora De Zorzi
authors.initials: Lde Z
authors.lastname: Piccoli
authors.forename: Angelo Alves de
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Mattos
authors.forename: Gabriela Perdomo
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Coral
authors.forename: Angelo Zambam de
authors.initials: AZ
authors.lastname: Mattos
authors.forename: Diogo Edele dos
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Santos
mesh_terms: D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000150:complications* / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral; D012254:Ribavirin