Background: In patients with hepatitis B and C, environmental factors such as smoking and alcohol can cause liver fibrosis progression. But opium effects on liver fibrosis progression are not clear. This study was designed to assess the relationship of opium user and liver fibrosis progression.
Methods: In this case-control study, sixty patients in hepatitis B group and sixty patients in hepatitis C group underwent liver biopsy due to hepatitis treatment and the severity of injury based on HAI (histopathological activity index) was evaluated. In the control group, patients were smoker but in the case group patients were smoker and opium user. In this study, correlation between amount and time of consumption of opium with HAI was determined.
Findings: There was significant relationship between HAI and opium using in both hepatitis B and C. In Hepatitis B, significant relationship was seen between amount of consumption of opium and grade of liver but no significant relationship was between amount of consumption of opium and stage of liver; also, there was not significant relationship between time of consumption of opium with stage and grade of liver. In hepatitis C, significant relationship was determined between stage with amount and time of consumption of opium and no relationship was noted between grade with amount and time of consumption of opium.
Conclusion: Correlation of opium and liver fibrosis progression, particularly in hepatitis C, was determined.