Effects of HCV Viral Load on Male Hormones

Abstract

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an infectious agent that causes human hepatitis C disease and serious life-threatening liver damage. The main objective of this research was to establish the association between the levels of plasma sex hormones and hepatitis C infection in Iraqi males. Thirty hepatitis C infected patients were included in the study sample. In addition, a control group of ten healthy peoples was created. HCV infection had been investigated and approved with TaqMan real time PCR technique. The level of hormones in the plasma of progesterone, estradiol, and testosterone had been measured via electrochemiluminescence immunoassay method usingcobas e 411 analyzers. In contrast with the controls, the findings revealed shifts in two of the three analyzed hormones within the patients. In male patients with HCV infection, the mean level of plasma testosterone and estradiol was significantly increased relative to healthy controls(P≤0.05 and P≤0.01, respectively), although there is no considerable variation between patients and controls in the mean level of plasma progesterone.The age groups have a significant effect in means of PCR viral load and progesterone hormone, while it has no significant impact in mean concentrations of hormones of testosterone and estradiol (P≤0.05). The statistical analysis for results demonstrated there is non-significant relation among HCV PCR load mean with the levels of testosterone and estradiol, though a significant correlation coefficient with progesterone level (P<0.05), the age has non-significant correlated with HCV PCR load.It was deduced that HCV disease patients have a degree of hormonal imbalance that will be explored in current study.