ROLE OF IRON IN THE NATURAL-HISTORY AND CLINICAL COURSE OF HEPATITIS-C DISEASE

The following review evaluates the current data implicating a role for hepatic iron in enhancing the liver injury in patients with chronic h epatitis C infection. Iron removal lowers transaminases, but doesn't a ppear to improve responsiveness to interferon-alpha therapy. An import ant effect of iron removal might be to delay progression of liver inju ry to fibrosis and cirrhosis. Until such a hypothesis is disproven, ph lebotomy therapy for even mildly iron-loaded HCV patients is recommend ed.