الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract Hepatitis C virus infection induces chronic hepatitis with fluctuating serum aminotransferase (ALT) levels and detectable HCV-RNA. About 20% of chronically infected patients develop cirrhosis with enhanced risk of hepato-cellular carcinoma . IL-18 generates cell-mediated immune responses via activation of Th1 T-helper cell sub-populations primarily through the induction of interferon-g. There are few data on IL-18 in relation to infectious diseases, but it plays a prominent role in chronic HCV infection . The aim of this study was to clarify the significance of IL-18 in regard to the degree of inflammation in viral liver disease Conclusion :IL-18 can be used as non invasive pro inflammatory marker for detection of the choronicty and severity of liver inflammation in chronic hepatitis C. |