Combination of oxidative stress and steatosis is a risk factor for fibrosis in alcohol-drinking pati

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Am J Gastroenterol. 2008 Jan;103(1):147-53.

Combination of oxidative stress and steatosis is a risk factor for fibrosis in

alcohol-drinking patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Vidali M, Occhino G, Ivaldi A, Rigamonti C, Sartori M, Albano E.

Department of Medical Sciences, University " Amedeo Avogadro " of East Piedmont,

Novarra, Italy.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Alcohol and HCV have been shown to interact in stimulating

hepatic oxidative damage. Thus, we investigated the contribution of oxidative

mechanisms in the progression of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) in alcohol consumers.

METHODS: An increased IgG reactivity against lipid peroxidation-derived antigens

was used as the marker for alcohol-induced oxidative damage in 125 CHC patients.

RESULTS: Alcohol intake significantly increased the frequency of the subjects

with elevated lipid peroxidation-related IgG. However, no association was

evident between oxidative stress markers and the severity of steatosis,

necroinflammation, or fibrosis. Multivariate analysis revealed that age (P=

0.014) and hepatic iron content (P= 0.034) were the only independent predictors

of fibrosis in these patients. However, the risk of fibrosis in the subjects

with both steatosis and oxidative stress-induced immune responses was 6- (OR

6.2, 95% CI 1.2-31.0) and 14-fold (OR 14.6, 95% CI 3.1-68.1) higher than in the

subjects with steatosis alone or without steatosis, respectively. Multivariate

analysis confirmed that the combination of steatosis and oxidative stress (P=

0.045) was, together with age (P= 0.021) and hepatic iron content (P= 0.027), an

independent risk factor for fibrosis in CHC patients with alcohol intake.

CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that oxidative stress interacts with

steatosis to promote the progression of CHC in alcohol-consuming patients.

PMID: 18184121 [PubMed - in process]

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