Hepatitis C Infection With Liver Steatosis Compared to Hepatitis C Infection Without Liver Steatosis: Is There a Difference in Lipid Peroxidation and Indicators of Inflammation?

Hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) is a major health concern in Canada and worldwide. Chronic HCV can cause progressive liver damage leading to inflammation, scarring and, in some cases, cirrhosis or liver cancer. It has been shown that fat accumulation in the liver can accelerate the disease progression and is therefore a risk factor in HCV patients.

However, the exact mechanism(s) by which fat accumulation in the liver is involved in disease progression are not clear yet. It is possible that the presence of fat provides a liver susceptible to a second injurious process which leads to scarring. Candidates for this second "hit" may include insulin resistance, leading to accumulation of fat within the liver cells and secondly oxidation of these lipids. In turn, lipid peroxidation can lead to production of reactive oxygen species (unstable molecules that can damage cells) and cytokines (signal molecules that promote inflammation) resulting in more oxidative stress and liver damage.

Aim of the study is to find out, whether patients with HCV and fatty liver have increased oxidative stress and inflammation than patients with HCV without fatty liver, and whether this is associated with a different nutritional status.