Evaluation of serum iron and ferritin in different treatment regimens for chronic hepatitis C virus

Abstract

This work aims to develop a biochemical study on the effect of both interferon containing treatment regimens and interferon free regimens on serum iron and serum ferritin in patients with chronic hepatitis C and to evaluate the role of iron in the severity and course of disease. Blood samples from one hundred fifty patients aged from 25 to 57 years old were withdrawn; of them 30 blood samples were positive for HCV antibodies and negative for HCV RNA (control group I) and 120 blood samples were positive for HCV antibodies and positive for HCV RNA (diseased group II) which is subdivided into four groups according to the received treatment; interferon and ribavirin (group IIa), interferon, sofosbuvir and ribavirin (group IIb), sofosbuvir and ribavirin (group IIc) and herbal therapy (group IId). After treatment there was an extremely significant decrease in iron levels (94 ± 16.96 µg/dL) in group IIa, , while there was an extremely significant increase in iron levels after treatment in group IIb and group IIc (160.4 ± 37.53 µg/dL and 183.7 ± 37.36 µg/dL), respectively. Group IId showed a non significant decrease in iron levels after treatment (150.5 ± 21.35 µg/dL). For ferritin levels, group IIa, group IIb and group IIc showed significant increase in serum ferritin levels after treatment (157.6 ± 13.44, 99.5 ±14.99, and 96.63 ± 15.22 ng/mL), respectively. On the other hand, group IId showed a non significant increase in ferritin levels after treatment (90.93 ± 6.883 ng/mL). It can be concluded that serum ferritin increases in HCV patients treated with combined pegylated interferon--alfa (PEG-IFN)-ribavirin than the other treatment regimens. In addition, Serum iron decreases in HCV patients treated with combined PEG-IFN-