Alcoholic hepatitis and HCV interactions in the modulation of liver disease.

Most HCV-infected patients regularly consume alcohol. Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection together are the most common causes of liver disease worldwide. Although both factors independently cause liver disease, they synergistically promote rapid liver disease progression with devastating outcomes for patients. This review focuses on the prevalence, clinical characteristics and molecular pathophysiologic mechanisms of HCV infection associated with alcohol abuse. Recent findings have centred on the synergistic effect of alcohol and HCV on viral replication, hepatocyte apoptosis, oxidative stress, alcohol-induced 'leaky gut', miR-122 and immune dysregulation. Clinical and basic research findings presented here summarize key scientific findings with the aim of highlighting potential areas for new therapies and identifying ways of optimizing current treatments for alcoholics with HCV infection.