ABSTRACT
Hepatic steatosis is defined as the amount of fat is more than 5% of liver weight. The aim of this study was to evaluate prevalence of hepatic steatosis, evaluation of viral and biochemical parameters in inactive hepatitis B carriers.
The freuquency of hepatosteatosis was investigated using abdominal ultrasonography in the patients who admitted to the outpatient clinic of the infectious diseases department between July 2012 and October 2013, and diagnosed as hepatitis B carrier. The patients who were HBsAg positive, had HBV DNA below 2000 IU/mL, and were anti-delta and anti-HCV negative diagnosed as carrier. PASW (ver. 18) software system was used in statistical analysis.
Three hundred forty inactive hepatitis B carriers enrolled the study. Based on abdominal ultrasound findings hepatic steatosis detected in 177 (52%) patients. There were statistically significances in the patients with steatosis in terms of older age, GGT, TG and total cholesterol levels compared to the patients without steatosis ( p<0.05). There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of AST, ALP, LDH levels (p>0.05). HBV DNA level of the patients without steatosis was significantly higher when we compared to those with steatosis (p=0.009).
Hyperlipidemia, elevation of GGT levels were associated with hepatic steatosis in inactive HBV carriers. Negative correlation between viral load and steatosis may suggest a protective effect of viral replication against to hepatic steatosis, but further studies are needed.