Prevalence of Hyperlipidemia in Egyptian Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C Infection

Abstract

Hepatitis C is a disease with significant global impact. According to the World Health Organization there are 130 - 150 million people chronically infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV), corresponding to 2 – 2.5% of the world’s total population. Egypt has the highest prevalence of HCV in the world. Overall prevalence of HCV antibody is about 12% among the general population and reaches 40% in persons 40 years of age and above in rural areas. Hyperlipidemia is an elevation of plasma cholesterol, triglycerides, or both. According to Egyptian Ministry of Health, 2006, there are 19.4 % of Egyptian population are suffering from hyperlipidemia. Many patients with chronic HCV are noted to have a degree of steatosis present on their liver biopsies. Hepatic steatosis is defined as excessive lipid accumulation within the hepatocyte cytoplasm and has been more recently recognized as a significant cause for cirrhosis. Liver steatosis diseases such as Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which are the most common chronic liver diseases in the world, are closely associated with metabolic syndrome (obesity, elevated blood pressure, hyperlipidemia and elevated fasting plasma glucose). Overall, steatosis, whether metabolic or HCV induced, worsens the sequence of events leading to advanced fibrosis in patients with HCV and needs to be addressed when managing our patients with HCV. The objectives of the study aimed to assess the prevalence of hyperlipidemia among Egyptian chronic hepatitis C patients. The study was a retrospective study carried out on Cairo Liver Center because it is a strong data base for chronic hepatitis C patients attending the center in the form of medical records with reliable data about health status and investigation results needed for the study.