Nós avaliamos a freqüência de marcadores sorológicos das hepatites B e C em 365 alcoolistas, determinando pelo método ELISA, a presença de HBsAg, anti-HBc, anti-HBs e anti-HCV. Cinqüenta deles eram cirróticos e 315 não tinham evidências de cirrose hepática; nestes últimos determinamos HBsAg em todos, anti-HBc e anti-HBs em 130, e anti-HCV em 210. Entre os alcoolistas as freqüências de HBsAg (1,9%), anti-HBc (28,3%) e anti-HCV (3,8%) foram maiores (p<0,001) do que entre os controles (N=17.059), 0,4%, 4,0% e 0,4% respectivamente. A freqüência de HBsAg+ no grupo de alcoolistas sem cirrose (0,95%) foi semelhante a do grupo controle (0,4%) e menores (p<0,001) do que no grupo cirrótico (8,0%); a de anti-HBc+ nos alcoolistas sem cirrose (28,5%) foi semelhante a dos cirróticos (28,0%) e maiores (p<0,001) do que nos controles (4,0%); a de anti-HBs+ em alcoolistas não cirróticos (20,8%) foi semelhante a dos cirróticos (10,0%). A de anti-HCV+ nos alcoolistas não cirróticos (3,3%) foi semelhante a dos cirróticos (6,0%) e maiores (p<0,001) do que no grupo controle (0,4%). Concluímos que: a) alcoolistas não cirróticos e cirróticos têm freqüências de infecção pelos vírus B e C da hepatite semelhantes entre si, e maiores do que não alcoolistas; b) alcoolistas sem cirrose tiveram freqüência de infecção ativa pelo vírus B (HBsAg+) semelhantes aos controles, enquanto entre aqueles que evoluíram para cirrose esta freqüência foi significativamente maior, o que sugere que o VHB possa estar implicado na patogênese da cirrose de alguns indivíduos alcoólicos.
We assessed the frequency of serological markers of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections in 365 alcoholics by determining, by ELISA, the presence of HBsAg, anti-HBc, anti-HBs and anti-HCV. Fifty patients were cirrhotics and 315 had no evidence of hepatic cirrhosis; of the latter HBsAg was assessed in all, anti-HBc and anti-HBs in 130, and anti-HCV in 210. Among the alcoholics the frequencies of HBsAg (1.9%), anti-HBc (28.3%) and anti-HCV (3.8%) were higher (p<0.001) than among the controls (N=17,059), 0.4%, 4.0% and 0.4% respectively. The frequency of positive HBsAg was higher (p<0.001) in the cirrhotic patients (8.0%) than in alcoholics without cirrhosis (0.95%) and in controls (0.4%), and similar between the latter; of anti-HBc in alcoholics without cirrhosis (28.5%) was similar in cirrhotics patients (28.0%) and higher (p<0.001) than in the controls (4.0%); of anti-HBs in alcoholics without cirrhosis (20.8%) was similar to that of the cirrhotic patients (10.0%), and the anti-HCV was similar between alcoholics with (6.0%) and without cirrhosis (3.3%) and higher (p<0.001) than in controls (0.4%). We concluded that: a) alcoholics with or without cirrhosis have similar frequencies of infection with HBV and HCV between them, and higher than in nonalcoholics; b) alcoholics without cirrhosis had a frequency of HBV active infection (HBsAg+) which was similar to the controls, whereas among those who progressed to cirrhosis this frequency was significantly higher, what suggests that HBV may be implicated in the pathogenesis of cirrhosis in a few alcoholic individuals.