TRANSIENT ELASTOGRAPHY AND YKL-40 AS PREDICTORS OF HEPATIC FIBROSIS IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HEPATITIS C

Abstract

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is one of the main causes of chronic liver disease with an estimated prevalence of more than 170 million people infected worldwide. HCV infection and its complications represent major public health problem in Egypt, where 10%-15% (about 9 million) of the general population is infected. The long-term sequences of HCV infection are highly variable, ranging from minimal changes to chronic hepatitis, extensive fibrosis, and cirrhosis with or without hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Clinical care for patients with HCV-related liver disease has advanced considerably during the last two decades, as a result of growing knowledge about the mechanisms of the disease, remarkable developments in diagnostic procedures, and advances in therapeutic and preventative approaches. HCV and schistosomiasis co-infection is common in many developing countries, including Egypt, and shows a specific clinical, virological and histological pattern characterized by virus persistence with high HCV RNA titres a higher necroinflammatory and fibrosis scores in liver biopsies. In addition, these patients exhibit a poor interferon therapy response and accelerated hepatic fibrosis.