Steatosis in hepatitis C: the missing link to metabolic abnormalities?

Abstract

Despite significant advances in hepatitis C (HCV) research over the past 15 yr, a number of infected patients will develop complications and will not respond to antiviral therapy. Metabolic abnormalities and hepatic steatosis in HCV patients emerged recently as cofactors in the development of complications and in failure of therapy and have gained increasing attention of HCV investigators worldwide. Understanding the link between HCV and metabolic abnormalities will certainly provide novel therapeutic targets in the future. In this issue of the journal, a group of investigators demonstrated that the association of hepatic steatosis to metabolic abnormalities in HCV patients is not limited to adults but also present in children. These observations will likely be useful in understanding the applicability of novel approaches to all HCV patients regardless of their age group.