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Few meaningful differences in biochemical
characteristics between genders have been found.
Haemoglobin was significantly lower in women
compared with men either in < 50 or in > 50 years
patients; the uric acid was significantly higher in men
either in the whole sample and in the > 50 years
group; GGT-set was significantly higher in men in the
overall sample and in the < 50 years group.

In women with menopause, hepatic steatosis was
more frequent and severe than in men: menopause
[11]
Figure 1: End-of treatment virological response (ETVR) in the < 50 year-aged may correlate with necro-inflammation, steatosis and
sample
metabolic alterations (high levels of cholesterol and
glycemia). Steatosis showed a higher prevalence in
chronic-HCV patients in post-menopause (> 55 years);
moreover the pro-inflammation state related with
menopause may cause a moderate to severe fibrosis
progression, leading to an inefficient response to
antiviral therapy. [12,13]

In our sample, the pre-treatment steatosis level did
not differ meaningfully in two genders either in the
whole sample or in younger and older than 50 years
groups. The presence of fibrosis at baseline was not
Figure 2: Sustained virological response (SVR) in the < 50 year-aged sample associated to gender either in the overall sample or
in two examinated groups.

Studies on natural history and predictors of severity
disease showed that the evolution of sickness
presented a high inter-individual variability and several
factors were associated to progression in fibrosis.

Rigamonti et al. stressed as the gender may
[14]
influence the progression of CHC only in young
patients: in < 50 years women emerged lower necro-
inflammation and fibrosis than in same aged men,
whilst in > 50 years women and men authors did not
Figure 3: Sustained virological response (SVR) in < 50 year-aged and > 50
year-aged male and female sample noticed differences in the disease severity.
of fibrosis F0-2. Both age and female gender were In literature effects of gender remain a controversial
associated with SVR within the subgroup of subjects topic not only as regards the therapy outcome
< 50 years [Figure 3]. but also relatively to the spontaneous clearance
of infection, to the developments of infection
DISCUSSION linked complications, to the outcomes after liver
transplantation. [13,15]
Our survey has compared men and women before
considering the overall sample and afterwards Several studies demonstrate a higher clearance in
analyzing separately a group of patients younger than women than in men; steroid hormones would play a
role for the gender-specific susceptibility of infection
50 years with a group of patients older than 50 years. even though any sufficiently exhaustive model has
not been submitted yet. [16]
This study considered biochemical and
ultrasonographical characteristics, presence of fibrosis In order to identify factors able to predict SVR,
at baseline, several types of virological response. our univariate analysis considered biochemical

Hepatoma Research | Volume 2 | May 6, 2016 127