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Prevalence of hepatic granulomas in chronic hepatitis B

Veysel Tahan1, Resat Ozaras, Nadir Lacevic

  • 1Department of Gastroenterology, Marmara University, Medical Faculty. veytahan@yahoo.com

Digestive Diseases and Sciences
|December 3, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Hepatic granulomas are rare in chronic hepatitis B patients, found in only 1.5% of cases. Their presence does not appear to predict successful outcomes with interferon therapy for this liver condition.

Area of Science:

  • Hepatology
  • Immunology
  • Pathology

Background:

  • Hepatic granulomas are increasingly reported in chronic hepatitis C, predicting treatment success.
  • Limited data exists on hepatic granuloma prevalence and treatment significance in chronic hepatitis B.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of hepatic granulomas in a large cohort of chronic hepatitis B patients.
  • To evaluate the association between hepatic granulomas and response to interferon therapy in chronic hepatitis B.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of liver biopsy specimens from 663 chronic hepatitis B patients.
  • Screening for alternative causes of granulomatous disease using serological tests and imaging.
  • Comparison of interferon therapy response rates between patients with and without hepatic granulomas.

Main Results:

  • Hepatic granulomas were identified in 10 patients (1.5%) and were not attributable to other causes.
  • Among the 10 patients with hepatic granulomas, 4 responded to interferon, 4 were non-responders, and 2 dropped out.
  • No clear correlation was observed between hepatic granuloma presence and interferon treatment response.

Conclusions:

  • Hepatic granuloma is an infrequent finding in chronic hepatitis B.
  • The presence of hepatic granulomas does not appear to be a predictive marker for interferon therapy response in chronic hepatitis B.

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