Abstract
Background: Vitamin D regulates the expression of over 200 different genes and it has also effect in treatment of asthma, type-1 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases also decrease the risk of developing multiple sclerosis and cancers. Hepatitis C is a major global public health problem, it is an infectious disease affecting primarily the liver, this infection is often asymptomatic but chronic infection leads to scaring of the liver, liver failure and liver cancer or life threatening esophageal and gastric varices. The prevalence of Vitamin D insufficiency has been estimated to range from a minimum of about 50% to a maximum of perhaps 75% or greater. The aim of this study is to assess the relation between serum 25-hydroxy Vitamin D level and liver dysfunction in chronic hepatitis c patients.
Patients and Methods: This cross sectional case controlled study was conducted on 90 patients who recruited from outpatient clinic and ICU patients from February 2016 to June 2016. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to Child Pugh Score: (30) Patients with Child score (A). (30) Patients with Child score (B). (30) Patients with Child score (C).
Results: The Vitamin D level was significantly decreased as the Child classification increasing from A to C. Also the vitamin D level in patients with Child A-C was significantly decreased when compared to healthy individuals (p-value= 0.001 *).
Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency is present in patients with chronic liver disease, in view of the increasingly recog-nized beneficial effects of adequate levels of Vitamin D, measurement of 25OH Vitamin D levels and treatment of it may be considered as part of the overall management of patients with HCV cirrhotic patients.