title: Increased fibrosis progression rates in hepatitis C patients carrying the prothrombin G20210A mutation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine whether hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients who carry hypercoagulable mutations suffer from increased rates of liver fibrosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed DNA samples of 168 HCV patients for three common hypercoagulable gene mutations: prothrombin 20210 (PT20210), factor V Leiden (FV Leiden) and methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR). The patients were consecutively recruited as part of the prospective "Fibroscore Study" in France. The effect of the various mutations on the rate of fibrosis was analyzed statistically and was correlated with epidemiological, clinical and biochemical data such as grade and stage of liver biopsies, patients' risk factors for liver cirrhosis, and timing of infection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty two of the patients were categorized as "fast fibrosers" and 116 as "slow fibrosers"; 13% of the "fast fibrosers" carried the PT20210 mutation as compared with 5.5% of the "slow fibrosers", with an odds ratio of 4.76 (P = 0.033; 95% CI: 1.13-19.99) for "fast" liver fibrosis. Carriage of MTHFR or FV Leiden mutations was not associated with enhanced liver fibrosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Carriage of the PT20210 mutation is related to an increased rate of liver fibrosis in HCV patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Liver diseases, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, affiliated to the Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, 64239 Tel Aviv, Israel. nitsan_maharshak@walla.com
authors.forename: Nitsan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Maharshak
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Halfon
authors.forename: Varda
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Deutsch
authors.forename: Hava
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Peretz
authors.forename: Shlomo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Berliner
authors.forename: Sigal
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fishman
authors.forename: Shira
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zelber-Sagi
authors.forename: Uri
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Rozovski
authors.forename: Moshe
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leshno
authors.forename: Ran
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Oren
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018450:Disease Progression; D005165:Factor V / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D042965:Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2) / Q000235:genetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D009154:Mutation; D011516:Prothrombin / Q000235:genetics*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D019851:Thrombophilia / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: C095381:factor V Leiden; D005165:Factor V; D011516:Prothrombin; D042965:Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2)