Marked iron overload related to ribavirin and iron sulfate treatment in a patient with active viral C cirrhosis.

Increased ferritin levels are common in the course of chronic hepatitis C, regardless of antiviral therapy. Usually, this increase in ferritin levels has minimal clinical and biological impact, and drops after therapy discontinuation. We report here on a dramatic increase in ferritin levels in a cirrhotic patient with hepatitis C treated by ribavirin monotherapy and oral iron sulphate, and discuss the possible mechanisms of this deleterious effect.

Prevalence of hepatitis C infection and risk factors in hospitalized diabetic patients: results of a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: Although there may exist a nosocomial risk of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, this risk has not been fully investigated thus far and its magnitude is unknown. The aim of this multicenter cross-sectional study was to evaluate the prevalence of, and risk factors for, hepatitis C infection in consecutive hospitalized patients with diabetes and to assess the nosocomial risk and magnitude of HCV infection in these patients.

Patients And Methods: Consecutive hospitalized patients with diabetes seen in 11 French hepatogastroenterology and diabetology departments were studied.

Occurrence of porphyria cutanea tarda during peginterferon/ribavirin therapy for chronic viral hepatitis C.

Porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) is a metabolic disorder characterized by a reduced hepatic activity of uroporphynogen decarboxylase (URO-D), an enzyme of the heme synthesis. The clinical features of PCT may be brought into light by hepatic injury induced by hepatitis C virus (HCV). A significant association between HCV and PCT is well recognized, although the role of HCV in the appearance of PCT is still debated because confounding factors often coexist, such as alcohol, other viruses, drugs or iron overload ().

[Seroprevalence of hepatitis A and cost evaluation of different vaccination strategies against hepatitis A virus in patients with chronic hepatitis C in France].

Objectives: To prospectively determine the prevalence of total hepatitis virus A antibodies in patients with chronic hepatitis C and to evaluate the direct costs of several vaccination strategies against hepatitis A virus in these patients.

Methods: From April 1 to July the 31 1998, 219 patients with hepatitis C virus antibodies underwent a systematic testing for total hepatitis virus A antibodies (MEIA-AXSYM, Abbott laboratories). The prevalence of hepatitis A virus antibodies was evaluated according to age and suspected way of hepatitis C contamination.