Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Patients With Hepatitis C Is Associated With Features of The Metabolic Syndrome

The objectives of this study were to determine the following1) whether chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection was specifically associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); 2) the factors associated with NAFLD in patients with HCV; and 3) the clinical and histological spectrum of NAFLD occurring together with HCV. A retrospective analysis of 3826 biopsies was performed to compare the prevalence of NAFLD in those with HCV versus that in other liver diseases, e.g., hepatitis B, primary biliary cirrhosis, and α1-antitrypsin deficiency. Patients with HCV and NAFLD were also compared with an age- and gender-matched control group with HCV and