These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed

  • Title: Does hepatitis C contribute to liver injury in alcohol abusers in the west of Scotland?
    Author: Bird GL, Tibbs CJ, Orton D, Hillan KJ, MacSween RN, Williams R, Mills PR.
    Journal: Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol; 1995 Feb; 7(2):161-3. PubMed ID: 7536113.
    Abstract:
    OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that many patients with alcoholic liver disease have coexisting hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection which promotes the development of cirrhosis. DESIGN: Prospective, two-centre study comparing patients with alcoholic liver disease with HCV-positive blood donors identified by the Regional Blood Transfusion Service. SETTING: Two teaching hospitals in Glasgow, UK. PATIENTS: Sixty patients admitted to hospital with a diagnosis of alcoholic liver disease on the basis of clinical and histological tests. For comparison, a group of 50 anti-HCV-positive subjects identified from 305,012 blood donors during the same period (1991-1993) were questioned about their alcohol consumption and liver biopsy specimens are taken. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The prevalence of HCV infection was determined by a second generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for anti-HCV and by liver histology. RESULTS: No patients with alcoholic liver disease were anti-HCV-positive. Of the blood donors with chronic HCV infection, 11 (22%) reported previous or continuing consumption of more than 80 g alcohol daily for at least 2 consecutive years but liver histology in all 50 cases showed features characteristic of chronic HCV. There was no difference in liver histology between donors with a history of high alcohol consumption [mean grade 2.6 (range, 1-5), stage 0.4 (range, 0-2)] and abstinent, anti-HCV-positive donors [grade 2.8 (0-5), stage 0.5 (range 0-1)]. CONCLUSIONS: The absence of anti-HCV in this population of patients with alcoholic liver disease shows that HCV is not a necessary or a common cofactor in the development of alcoholic liver disease in the west of Scotland.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]