Date sent:      	Tue, 17 Jul 2001

Evidence for a cerebral effect of the hepatitis C
virus.

Lancet 2001 Jul 7;358(9275):38-9

Forton DM, Allsop JM, Main J, Foster GR, Thomas HC,
Taylor-Robinson SD.

Hepatology Section, Division of Medicine, Imperial
College School of Medicine, St Mary's Hospital,
London, UK

PMID: 11454379

Patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection
frequently complain of symptoms akin to the chronic
fatigue syndrome and score worse on health-related
quality of life indices than matched controls.

We address the hypothesis that HCV itself affects
cerebral function. Using proton magnetic-resonance
spectroscopy we have shown elevations in basal ganglia
and white matter choline/creatine ratios in patients
with histologically-mild hepatitis C, compared with
healthy volunteers and patients with hepatitis B.

This elevation is unrelated to hepatic encephalopathy
or a history of intravenous drug abuse, and suggests
that a biological process underlies the extrahepatic
symptoms in chronic HCV infection.