HEPATITIS-C VIRUS-INFECTION IN PATIENTS WITH CLINICALLY DIAGNOSED ALCOHOLIC LIVER-DISEASES

To determine the incidence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in pat ients with alcoholic liver disease (ALD), serum samples from 252 patie nts with ALD were tested for anti-HCV and HCV RNA, Serial sera of thes e patients were collected and stored under optimal conditions to allow exact quantification of HCV RNA, Fifteen patients who visited our hos pital during the same period of time with chronic HCV infections serve d as controls. In those with ALD, anti-HCV and HCV RNA were positive i n 55.5% and 41.2%, respectively. Patients with histologically diagnose d chronic hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma had much higher preva lence rates of HCV RNA (84% and 100%, respectively) compared to those with fatty liver (4.3%), hepatic fibrosis (10.1%) and alcoholic hepati tis (22.2%) (P < 0.01), Although no difference in serum HCV RNA levels was observed between the patients with both ALD and chronic HCV infec tion and those with chronic HCV infection alone, HCV RNA levels signif icantly (10-fold) dropped after abstinence in nearly half of the patie nts (P < 0.01). These data indicate that HCV infection in patients wit h ALD promotes progression of liver disease, and abstinence from alcoh ol is associated with a reduction in serum HCV RNA levels.