Hepatic iron, serum ferritin, HFE mutation, and hepatic fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C.

OBJECTIVES We studied the status of hepatic iron deposition and its relationship with blood iron indices, liver histology, and HFE gene mutations in Korean patients with chronic hepatitis C (CH-C). METHODS 105 patients with CH-C who underwent pretreatment liver biopsy were consecutively enrolled. The hepatic iron deposition, histological activity and fibrosis were assessed by appropriate pathological scoring systems, clinical data including serum iron indices, and HFE gene mutation. RESULTS Hepatic iron deposition was found in 37 patients (35%), which was not significantly associated with degree of hepatic fibrosis or steatosis. The serum ferritin level was elevated in 27% of the patients and was an independent factor associated with hepatic iron deposition by logistic regression; however, it was not significantly associated with hepatic fibrosis either. Only H63D heterozygote was found in 6 out of 48 patients (12.5%), which was not different from the prevalence of H63D mutation in the Korean population (8.5%). CONCLUSIONS Hepatic iron deposition was uncommon and mild in Korean CH-C. Neither hepatic iron deposition nor serum ferritin were significantly related to the severity of hepatic fibrosis, which does not support the significant role of iron in the progression of hepatic fibrosis.