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Abstract
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
Approximately 30% of patients with chronic hepatitis C have normal serum alanine trans ami nase (ALT) levels; most patients with normal ALT levels have mild degrees of inflammation with mild or no fibrosis, and the rate of disease progression is reduced compared with that in patients with elevated ALT levels. Some patients with normal ALT levels have advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis on liver biopsy (Bruce 2002).
The progression of fibrosis is difficult to predict in the individual patient particularly based on assessment at one point in lime. Serial serum ALT levels, grade of activity, and stage of fibrosis are the main predictors of progression fibrosis. However, the overall predictive value of these characteristics is relatively weak and the progression of fibrosis is difficult to predict in the individual patient. The liver biopsy remains the best method to assess fibrosis and is valuable in determining prognosis and aiding in the decision for or against tilGF8Qy(MttrcdHftt Assetah and Bayer 2ft02).
The aim of this work is to study the hi stop atho logical characterization of anti- HCV positive subjects with persistently normal aminotransferase levels in comparison with that of patients having elevated aminotransfcrasc levels.
Our study was conducted on patients which asked medical advice (by themselves, or referred from primary care physicians, blood banks) in outpatients clinics of National Liver Institute, Menoufiya University, and Specialized Medical Hospital, Mansoura University, from Marsh 2003 to January 2005. They involved tow groups (cascs-£roup I) and (control-group El),
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