ABSTRACT

Aim: To determine the change in serum liver markers following 600mg daily dose of ursodeoxycholic acid in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Design: The present study was a quasi-experimental study.

Study settings: Department of Gastroenterology, Mayo Hospital Lahore from March 2019 to February 2020.

Methods: 60 consecutive patients of both genders aged between 20-60 years presenting with chronic hepatitis C were included after written informed consent. Serum levels of ALT, AST and GGT were recorded before starting 600mg of ursodeoxycholic acid daily for 6 months when serum levels of these parameters were assessed again and percent reduction was calculated. An informed written consent was acquired from all the patients.

Results: In the present study, the mean age of the study participants was 39.4±9.7 years. There were 42(70%) male and 18(30%) female patients with a male to female ratio of 2.3:1. Ursodeoxycholic acid treatment was found to improve cholestasis with significant decline in serum ALT (119.22±24.28 to 71.50±13.28 IU/L; p-value<0.001), AST (84.78±14.31 to 63.93±14.42 IU/L; p-value<0.001) and GGT (89.10±14.64 to 51.87±14.98 IU/L; p-value<0.001) after 6 months of treatment.

Conclusion: A 600mg daily dose of ursodeoxycholic acid was found to improve the cholestasis in patients with chronic hepatitis C which advocates its preferred use in the management of such patients in future medical practice.

Keywords: Chronic Hepatitis C, Cholestasis, Ursodeoxycholic Acid