Smoking is associated with steatosis and severe fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C but not B.

Objective: The results of retrospective studies suggest an association between smoking, insulin resistance, steatosis and fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC); no data are available for chronic hepatitis B (CHB). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship, if any, of such factors on liver fibrosis in a cohort of patients with CHB and CHC.

Material And Methods: The study prospectively included 271 consecutive patients with CHB (n=95) or CHC (n=176) who had undergone liver biopsies.