Chronic hepatitis C infection and sex hormone levels: effect of disease severity and recombinant interferon-α therapy

Background: We aimed to investigate the associations between androgen status and markers of liver disease severity and to determine the effect of interferon‐α (IFN‐α) treatment on sex hormone levels in the context of hepatitis C infection. Methods: We audited liver biopsy and sex hormone data from 35 men with chronic hepatitis C and a separate group of 11 men with hepatitis C who received IFN‐α treatment at Fremantle Hospital. Results: We found that men with low fibrosis scores (0–2) on the modified Knodell histological activity index were more likely to have lower sex hormone–binding globulin (SHBG) levels (38.2 ± 13.2 vs 66.6 ± 43.3 nmol/L, P