Serum cholesterol and chronic hepatitis C.

Total serum cholesterol levels have been studied in 100 patients with histological diagnoses of chronic hepatitis B and 100 wit chronic Hepatitis C, all without cirrhosis, and two age- and sex-matched control groups (B and C). Mean serum cholesterol levels of the groups were compared also in relation to sex, liver function, duration of the disease, alcohol intake, mass index, liver enzymes, presence of liver steatosis and severity of the liver disease on the basis of the histological activity index. The percentages of patients with serum cholesterol level < 150 mg/dl and > 240 mg/dl were also calculated. The mean serum cholesterol level was significantly lower in hepatitis C: 176 md/dl vs 194 mg/dl of hepatitis B (p = 0.004) and 198 of control C (p = 0.000). Twenty eight hepatitis C patients had serum cholesterol < 150 mg/dl vs 10 with hepatitis B (p = 0.001). In multivariate regression analysis, only the type of virus infection was independent related to serum cholesterol level (p = 0.0063).