title: Phase angle is associated with advanced fibrosis in patients chronically infected with hepatitis C virus.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of phase angle (PhA) with advanced liver fibrosis in patients chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV).
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred sixty consecutive patients chronically infected with HCV were treated at the Hepatitis C outpatient care setting of our hospital from April 2010 to May 2011 and prospectively evaluated. Bioelectrical impedance analysis measurements were performed during the first hospital visit. Biochemical measurements and liver biopsy data were collected from the patients' medical records and included in the analysis only if they were performed within three months of the inclusion of the patient in the study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred sixty consecutive patients were evaluated and 25 patients were excluded. A total of 135 patients with 49.8±11.4years old were studied. Among these patients, 60% were male and the PhA was 6.5±0.8°. Regarding the stage of fibrosis, patients with advanced fibrosis were older and had more insulin resistance and more inflammation compared with patients that had mild fibrosis. Logistic regression analysis revealed that PhA was a predictor of advanced fibrosis even when adjusted for gender, age, HOMA-IR, HDL-cholesterol and AST (OR: 0.227; CI 95%: 0.090-0.569; p: 0.013). The best PhA cut-off points associated with advanced fibrosis for the combined data, for females and for males were 6.43°, 5.94° and 6.72°, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PhA was predictor of advanced liver fibrosis in patients chronically infected with HCV. In the sample evaluated, for each one-degree decrease in PhA, the risk of advanced fibrosis increased more than four-fold.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Botucatu Medical School, UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, Brazil. Electronic address: mari_dorna@yahoo.com.br.
authors.forename: Mariana de Souza
authors.initials: Mde S
authors.lastname: Dorna
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Botucatu Medical School, UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, Brazil.
authors.forename: Livia Alves Amaral
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Botucatu Medical School, UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernanda Futino
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Gondo
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Botucatu Medical School, UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lais
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Augusti
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Botucatu Medical School, UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, Brazil.
authors.forename: Letícia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: de Campos Franzoni
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Botucatu Medical School, UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ligia Yukie
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Sassaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Botucatu Medical School, UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernando Gomes
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Romeiro
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Botucatu Medical School, UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sergio Alberto Rupp
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: de Paiva
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Botucatu Medical School, UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcos Ferreira
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Minicucci
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Botucatu Medical School, UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, Brazil.
authors.forename: Giovanni Faria
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Silva
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001706:Biopsy; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
keywords: Bioelectrical impedance; Hepatitis C virus; Liver fibrosis