Alcoholic liver disease and hepatitis C virus infection
2016; Baishideng Publishing Group; Volume: 22; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.3748/wjg.v22.i4.1411
ISSN2219-2840
Autores Tópico(s)Alcohol Consumption and Health Effects
ResumoAlcohol consumption and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection have a synergic hepatotoxic effect, and the coexistence of these factors increases the risk of advanced liver disease.The main mechanisms of this effect are increased viral replication and altered immune response, although genetic predisposition may also play an important role.Traditionally, HCV prevalence has been considered to be higher (up to 50%) in alcoholic patients than in the general population.However, the presence of advanced alcoholic liver disease (ALD) or intravenous drug use (IDU) may have confounded the results of previous studies, and the real prevalence of HCV infection in alcoholic patients without ALD or prior IDU has been shown to be lower.Due to the toxic combined effect of HCV and alcohol, patients with HCV infection should be screened for excessive ethanol intake.Patients starting treatment for HCV infection should be specifically advised to stop or reduce alcohol consumption because of its potential impact on treatment efficacy and adherence and may benefit from additional TOPIC
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