Papers of the Week

The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of Hp on clinical and biochemical course of chronic hepatitis C (CHC). The study included 150 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of chronic hepatitis C, who for various reasons did not receive specific antiviral therapy. Helicobacter pylori (Нр) was determined using a quick urease test (CLO-test) and a coprological test (CITO TEST, manufactured by Pharmasco LLC), interleukin (IL) levels: IL-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and neopterin by ELISA. Two groups were formed: the 1st (n=52) – patients with chronic hepatitis C infected with Hp and the 2nd (n=98) – patients with chronic hepatitis C without Hp. It was found that in patients with chronic hepatitis C infected with HP, dyspeptic syndrome (94.2% versus 52.0%, p<0.05), pain and severity in the right hypochondrium (65.4% versus 20.4%, p<0.05); and periodic itching of the skin (57.7% versus 12.4%, p<0.05) were significantly more often recorded, compared with patients with chronic hepatitis C without HP. Levels of total bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase and gammaglutamyltranspeptidase are significantly higher in patients with chronic hepatitis C combined with Hp, compared with patients without Hp (p<0.05), which indicates the predominance of cholestasis syndrome in them. Also, in patients with chronic hepatitis C combined with Hp, higher levels of hepatic enzyme activity (AlAT, AsAT) were detected compared with patients with chronic hepatitis C without Hp (82.3% versus 22.9%, respectively; p<0.001). More pronounced disregulatory changes in the cytokine link of the immune system, characterized by an increase in the levels of proinflammatory cytokines: IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α and neopterin were registered in patients with chronic hepatitis C infected with Hp, than in patients without Hp. High levels of hepatic enzyme activity (AlAT, AsAT, GGTP), as well as the predominance of cholestasis syndrome in patients with chronic hepatitis C combined with Hp, require the development of a comprehensive eradication therapy of Hp considering the results of clinical and laboratory features of the course of CHC.