[Role of hepatitis C virus in the genesis of hepatic lesions observed in alcoholic patients with liver cirrhosis].

The aim of study was to assess the role of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in 164 alcoholic cirrhotic patients. We studied the prevalence of anti-HCV antibodies using ELISA and RIBA first and second generation tests. Twenty-two % of the patients had anti-HCV antibodies detected by ELISA 2, RIBA 2 test was positive in 10% of the patients and indeterminate in 3%. We compared epidemiological, biological and histological characteristics according to the results of the tests. By comparing ELISA 2-RIBA 2 positive patients to ELISA 2 negative patients, we observed, in the former, a) a higher serum aminotransferase activity, b) a lower serum gammaglutamyl transpeptidase activity, and c) a lower histological score of alcoholic hepatitis. In addition, in a group of ELISA 2 positive RIBA 2 negative patients, the values were intermediate between those of the two former groups. However, most of these patients had a negative third generation ELISA test. The whole results suggest that HCV is likely to play a role in the pathogenesis of liver damage in a high number of alcoholic cirrhotic patients.