title: [A study on hepatic iron overload in chronic hepatitis C patients].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hepatitis C is a worldwide chronic liver disease. Different factors have been found to be associated with an increased progression to severe liver fibrosis, such as alcohol intake higher than 30 g/day, older age at infection and co-infection. Nevertheless, different research centers have found conflicting data concerning the liver iron overload fibrogenic role.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the association between hepatic iron overload and fibrosis stage grades in hepatitis C Virus carriers, hepatic steatosis and demographic variables.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this descriptive study we recruited 290 positive anti-HCV and qualitative HCV-RNA, treatment naive chronic hepatitis C outpatients registered fom 2007 to 2009 at the Federal University of Bahia's Hospital. The variables studied in the liver biopsy results were: 1) fibrosis stage according to META VIR score (F0-F4), 2) iron overload presence or absence according to Perls staining, and 3) presence or absence of steatosis. Fibrosis stages were categorized as mild/moderate (F0-F2) and severe (F3-F4). Exclusion criteria were hepatitis B virus and human immunodeficiency virus co-infection, and primary or secondary hemochromatosis. The statistical analysis was performed using Chi-square and Student's t tests, with the ssoftware: SPSS 17. A P value < 0.05 was considered as significant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Severe fibrosis was statistically associated with older age, iron overload presence (P = 0.003) and steatosis (P = 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study hepatic iron overload and hepatic steatosis were associated with severe hepatic fibrosis (METAVIR F3-F4).
authors.affiliation: Escuela de Medicina, Universidad Federal de Bahia (UFBa), Bahia, Brasil.
authors.forename: Ednaldo Andrade
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Bomfim
authors.forename: Andrea Cristina
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Pereirade de Oliveira
authors.forename: Raymundo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Paraná
authors.forename: María Isabel
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Schinoni
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018450:Disease Progression; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D019190:Iron Overload / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase