Gender and liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis: the role of iron status.
Aliment Pharmacol Ther
; 21(12): 1445-51, 2005 Jun 15.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-15948811
BACKGROUND: The role of gender in the progression of fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C is still under investigation. AIM: To investigate whether gender affects the progression of liver disease and/or hides other risk factors. METHODS: A prospective series of 121 consecutive patients with chronic hepatitis C underwent liver biopsy. Grading and staging for chronic hepatitis were each evaluated according to Ishak's classification. RESULTS: In univariate and multivariate analysis on the whole group of patients, male gender was not associated either with significant liver fibrosis (Ishak's score > 2) or with cirrhosis (Ishak's score > 4). On the contrary, in univariate analysis on patients aged < or = 50 years, male gender was nearly significantly (P = 0.06) predictive of liver fibrosis, whereas it was not in patients > 50 years. Hepatic iron grading, along with age, was an independent factor associated with fibrosis. Moreover, the values of all the variables which describe iron status were significantly higher in males aged < or = 50 years in comparison with females of the same age. CONCLUSIONS: In chronic hepatitis C, male gender may be predictive of liver fibrosis only in patients aged < or = 50 years. Among fibrogenetic factors hidden by gender, iron status could play a major role.
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Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Hepatite C Crônica
/
Ferro
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Cirrose Hepática
Tipo de estudo:
Observational_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
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Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adult
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Aged
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2005
Tipo de documento:
Article