TY - JOUR
T1 - Vagal system impairment in human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients with chronic hepatitis C
T2 - Does hepatic glutathione deficiency have a pathogenetic role?
AU - Barbaro, G.
AU - Di Lorenzo, G. D I
AU - Soldini, M.
AU - Bellomo, G.
AU - Belloni, G.
AU - Grisorio, B.
AU - Barbarini, G.
PY - 1997
Y1 - 1997
N2 - Background: Both an autonomic impairment and a systemic depletion of reduced glutathione (GSH) may be documented in patients with chronic liver diseases and in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients. Methods: The coefficients of electrocardiographic R-R interval variation (CVc) were assessed in 125 patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) (65 HIV- positive and 60 HIV-negative) and in 61 healthy controls. The CVc values were correlated with hepatic (H-GSH), plasmatic (P-GSH), lymphocyte (L-GSH), and erythrocyte (E-GSH) concentrations of GSH and with erythrocyte malonyldialdehyde (MDA) levels. Results: Compared with healthy controls, in CHC patients the concentrations of H-GSH, P-GSH, L-GSH, and E-GSH were reduced, whereas MDA levels were increased with a statistically significant difference (P <0.001). CVc was significantly reduced in patients with CHC (especially in those who were HIV-positive) and correlated significantly with the values of H-GSH, P-GSH; L-GSH, E-GSH, and MDA (P <0.001). Conclusions: A dysfunction of the cardiac vagal system may be detected in patients with CHC (especially in those who are HIV-positive); this abnormality may be related to a reduced response to oxidative stress because of a systemic depletion of GSH.
AB - Background: Both an autonomic impairment and a systemic depletion of reduced glutathione (GSH) may be documented in patients with chronic liver diseases and in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients. Methods: The coefficients of electrocardiographic R-R interval variation (CVc) were assessed in 125 patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) (65 HIV- positive and 60 HIV-negative) and in 61 healthy controls. The CVc values were correlated with hepatic (H-GSH), plasmatic (P-GSH), lymphocyte (L-GSH), and erythrocyte (E-GSH) concentrations of GSH and with erythrocyte malonyldialdehyde (MDA) levels. Results: Compared with healthy controls, in CHC patients the concentrations of H-GSH, P-GSH, L-GSH, and E-GSH were reduced, whereas MDA levels were increased with a statistically significant difference (P <0.001). CVc was significantly reduced in patients with CHC (especially in those who were HIV-positive) and correlated significantly with the values of H-GSH, P-GSH; L-GSH, E-GSH, and MDA (P <0.001). Conclusions: A dysfunction of the cardiac vagal system may be detected in patients with CHC (especially in those who are HIV-positive); this abnormality may be related to a reduced response to oxidative stress because of a systemic depletion of GSH.
KW - Autonomic system
KW - Chronic hepatitis C
KW - Hepatitis C virus
KW - Human immunodeficiency virus
KW - R-R interval variation
KW - Reduced glutathione
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M3 - Article
C2 - 9438326
AN - SCOPUS:0031452009
VL - 32
SP - 1261
EP - 1266
JO - Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology
JF - Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology
SN - 0036-5521
IS - 12
ER -