Comparison of hepatic and splenic stiffness in chronic hepatitis C infection with and without schistosomal infection; correlation with hepatic histopathological changes

Introduction
To assess the degree of liver and spleen stiffness in chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients co-infected with schistosomiasis, and chronic HCV mono-infected patients.

Material and methods
The present study was conducted on 50 Egyptian chronic HCV patients, categorized into two groups: group A (25 patients with chronic HCV mono-infection) and group B (25 patients with chronic HCV and schistosomiasis coinfection). Also, 25 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects with no evidence of liver disease were included in the study as a control group. Stage of fibrosis was assessed invasively by histopathological examination of liver biopsies (patients only) and non-invasively by acoustic radiation force impulse imaging (ARFI) (all subjects).

Results
ARFI of liver (ARFI L) and ARFI of spleen (ARFI S) in group A patients who had significant fibrosis were 1.82 ±0.24 and 2.72 ±0.26, respectively, while in group B, ARFI L and ARFI S in patients with significant fibrosis was 1.99 ±0.53 and 3.10 ±0.57, respectively.

Conclusions
The current study demonstrated insignificantly higher values of liver stiffness and significantly higher values of spleen stiffness assessed by ARFI in patients co-infected with HCV and schistosomiasis than mono-infected with HCV.