Cannabis use in hepatitis C
Cannabis use should be discouraged in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC), according to researchers in France.
First, the details.
- 315 patients with untreated CHC and having a liver biopsy were studied.
- Detailed histories of recent marijuana, alcohol, and tobacco use were recorded.
- The biopsies were examined using METAVIR — a scoring system that gives an indication of the activity or amount of inflammation and amount of fibrosis or scarring in the liver.
And, the results.
There were 6 predictors of marked steatosis (accumulation of fat in the liver).
- Daily cannabis users compared to occasional users and nonusers
- Viral activity grade of the disease (greater or equal to A2)
- Genotype 3 (one of the genetic variations and stains of hepatitis C)
- Body mass index (BMI) greater than 27 kg/m2
- High blood sugar levels or diabetes
- HCV RNA load in the blood (associated with a worse outcome of disease) or alcohol intake (greater than 30 g/day)
The bottom line?
Steatosis is important because a build up of fat in the liver worsens liver damage and makes CHC harder to treat.
The authors concluded that daily cannabis smoking is a “predictor of steatosis severity during CHC.” And they recommend that “cannabis use should be discouraged in patients with CHC.”
Among the 6 predictors of steatosis reported in this study, marijuana use is a comparatively easy risk factor to modify and thereby reduce the severity of this disease.
7/6/08 11:05 JR