| Theme | Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Hepatitis Viruses and NASH | |
| Publish Date | 2003/08 | |
| Author | Naoki Tanaka | Second Department of Internal Medicine, Shinshu University School of Medicine |
| Author | Eiji Tanaka | Second Department of Internal Medicine, Shinshu University School of Medicine |
| Author | Kendo Kiyosawa | Second Department of Internal Medicine, Shinshu University School of Medicine |
| [ Summary ] | The association between hepatic steatosis and hepatitis viruses, especially the hepatitis C virus (HCV), has been established. It has been reported that sustained virological response to interferon therapy led to improvements in hepatic steatosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C (especially HCV genotype 3a), and that hepatic steatosis developed in mice carrying HCV core gene. These findings indicate a direct association between HCV and the development of hepatic steatosis. Steatohepatitis, which is characterized by centrilobular steatosis, hepatocyte ballooning and perisinusoidal/perivenular fibrosis, may be accompanied by chronic hepatitis C. However, persistent HCV infections must be excluded with the diagnosis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). In the past, there have been discussions about the contributions of GBV-C/HGV or TTV to the development of NASH. However, the contributions of these viruses seem to be quite limited. |
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