Consumption of alcohol in the presence of hepatitis C virus is an additive risk for liver damage.

BACKGROUND

Whether alcohol consumption influences the development of hepatitis C in the presence of a latent infection needs to be determined.

METHODS

The interaction between alcohol intake and hepatitis C virus infection with regard to development of liver injury was cross-sectionally investigated for 399 inhabitants of a town in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. In this town, the prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection is 32.4%.

RESULTS

The levels of indicators of liver function were significantly higher among subjects of both sexes who carried the antibody to hepatitis C virus than among those without the antibody. Among men, higher levels of liver function were more frequent among alcohol drinkers than among nondrinkers, suggesting that alcohol consumption may aid in the development of liver injury, even among subjects with a latent hepatitis C virus infection. gamma-Glutamyl transpeptidase activity was more sharply increased in relation to alcohol intake among subjects with hepatitis C virus infection than among those without it, suggesting that the presence of infection will influence alcohol-induced liver damage.

CONCLUSION

Alcohol consumption and a concomitant hepatitis C virus infection apparently facilitate the development of hepatitis.