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Hepatitis C and alcohol: interactions, outcomes, and implications.
Renuka Bhattacharya1, Margaret C Shuhart
1Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology University of Washington Seattle, Washington 98104, USA. mshuhart@u.washington.edu
Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology
|February 19, 2003
Summary
Alcohol and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection together accelerate liver disease progression. Patients with HCV should avoid alcohol, though the exact harmful threshold remains undetermined.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Virology
- Toxicology
Background:
- Alcoholism and chronic hepatitis C (HCV) infection are leading global causes of liver disease.
- Co-infection with hepatitis C virus and alcohol use accelerates liver disease progression.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review literature on the combined effects of alcohol and HCV.
- To understand alcohol's influence on HCV natural history, pathogenesis, and treatment.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive English literature review.
- MEDLINE-based computerized search and reference checking.
Main Results:
- HCV is prevalent in alcoholic populations (14-36%).
- Excessive alcohol intake in HCV patients worsens liver injury, hastens disease progression, and increases risks of cirrhosis and cancer.
- Alcohol may reduce response rates to interferon therapy.
Conclusions:
- Alcohol use and HCV infection frequently co-occur, with alcohol worsening HCV liver disease.
- Mechanisms of interaction are not fully understood.
- Patients with chronic HCV should abstain from alcohol; the specific threshold for accelerated disease is yet to be determined.