Nasir Khokhar.
Is hepatic fibrosis reversible: Fact or fantasy?.
Rawal Med J Jan ;31(2):51-2.

Cirrhosis, a pathological condition defined by deranged hepatic architecture resulting from progressive fibrosis, is the final common pathway through which nearly all chronic diseases of the liver produce morbidity and mortality. It is now recognized that hepatic stellate cells of liver are primarily responsible for hepatic fibrosis and subsequent progression to cirrhosis.1 Cirrhosis secondary to hepatitis C (HCV) appeared to have regressed in response to treatment with interferon (INF), as seen on paired biopsies.2 The mean fibrosis score decreased from 5.8 to 0.5 (P = 0.004), and the mean grading score decreased from 10.8 to 3.2 in cirrhosis due to chronic hepatitis B in patients who responded to antiviral therapy.3 So what should we do with growing burden of CLD in our country? The answer is to detect chronic viral hepatitis early and treat it aggressively. This may be possible by educating the masses and restraining the cost of treatment. So, is there light at the end of the tunnel? This is an Editorial. (Rawal Med J 2006;32:51)

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