Aims and objectives
HCV-positive individuals frequently exhibit brain dysfunction represented by neuropsychiatric and cognitive impairments,
which can be independent of the severity of liver disease,
hepatic encephalopathy,
viral load,
genotype,
and comorbid drug abuse [1,2].
Neuroimaging studies suggest that HCV-positive individuals show altered structure and function of several neuronal systems,
including the frontal neocortex,
basal ganglia,
and connecting white matter tracts [3,4].
Diffusion-Weighted MRI (DW-MRI) is a commonly available sequence often used in assessing neurovascular disease which assesses changes in the motion of water molecules by defining the...
Methods and materials
Study design
This case-control study was carried out in Assiut University Hospital (AUH),
Egypt,
from May 2014 to October 2015.
The study was approved by the regional Ethical Committee of AUH and informed consent was obtained from all the participants (or their relatives) before enrollment.
Study population
A total of 60 HCV positive patients with CLD; 20 patients with chronic hepatitis C and 40 patients with liver cirrhosis (LC) were enrolled in this study.
Diagnosis of chronic hepatitis C was based on established clinical findings,...
Results
(A) Characteristics of the study population:
The baseline sociodemographic and biochemical characteristics of the study population were summarized in table 1.
Table I Clinical and laboratory characteristics of the study population
Control
(n = 10)
CHC
(n = 20)
LC
(n = 40)
Age (years) mean ± SD
52.5 ± 8.6
49.7 ± 10.3
54.4 ± 8.4
Sex (n)
Male
Female
5 (50%)
5 (50%)
14 (70%)
6 (30%)
26 (65%)
14 (35%)
Child-Pugh score (mean ± SD)
-
-
12.5 ± 1.4
Child-Pugh class...
Conclusion
According to several reports,
HCV may invade CNS,
causing neurocognitive disorders [1,11,12].
This fact could explain the significant cerebral changes observed in HCV-positive patients.
In this study,
ADC was determined through diffusion MRI to assess early abnormalities in the distribution of water in brain compartments in HCV-positive patients with chronic liver disease and their association with the neuropsychiatric and cognitive challenges especially in those with apparently normal brain structure.
Also,
whether these changes could occur early in chronic HCV patients.
We found that ADC values...
Personal information
Gehan S Seifeldein
Department of Radiology,
Faculty of Medicine,
Assiut University,
Assiut,
Egypt
Elham Ahmed Hassan
Department of Tropical Medicine and Gastroenterology,
Faculty of Medicine,
Assiut University,
Assiut,
Egypt
Abeer Sharaf EL-Din Abd El-Rehim
Department of Tropical Medicine and Gastroenterology,
Faculty of Medicine,
Assiut University,
Assiut,
Egypt
Ghaydaa A Shehata
Department of Neurology,
Faculty of Medicine,
Assiut University,
Assiut,
Egypt
References
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Radkowski M,
Adair DM,
Wilkinson J,
Scheck AC,
Rakela J.
Emerging evidence of hepatitis C virus neuroinvasion.
AIDS 2005;19(Suppl 3):S140–S144.
[2] Perry W,
Hilsabeck RC,
Hassanein TI.
Cognitive dysfunction in chronic hepatitis C: a review.
Dig Dis Sci 2008,
53:307–321.
[3] Forton DM,
Allsop JM,
Main J,
Foster GR,
Thomas HC,
Taylor-Robinson SD.
Evidence for a cerebral effect of the hepatitis C virus.
Lancet 2001,
358:38–39.
[4] Weissenborn K,
Krausse J,
Bokemeyer M,
Hecker H,
Schüler A,
Ennen JC,
Ahl B,
Manns...