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Alcohol And Hepatitis C Virus--Interactions In Immune Dysfunctions And Liver Damage, Gyongyi Szabo, Jack Wands, Ahment Eken, Natalia Osna, Steven Weinman, Keigo Machida, Joe Wang
Alcohol And Hepatitis C Virus--Interactions In Immune Dysfunctions And Liver Damage, Gyongyi Szabo, Jack Wands, Ahment Eken, Natalia Osna, Steven Weinman, Keigo Machida, Joe Wang
Gyongyi Szabo
Hepatitis C virus infection affects 170 million people worldwide, and the majority of individuals exposed to HCV develop chronic hepatitis leading to progressive liver damage, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular cancer. The natural history of HCV infection is influenced by genetic and environmental factors of which chronic alcohol use is an independent risk factor for cirrhosis in HCV-infected individuals. Both the hepatitis C virus and alcohol damage the liver and result in immune alterations contributing to both decreased viral clearance and liver injury. This review will capture the major components of the interactions between alcohol and HCV infection to provide better understanding …