Hepatitis C Virus and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Similar Risk Factors for Necroinflammation, Fibrosis, and Cirrhosis

We read with great interest the recent article by Kallwitz et al,¹ recently published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. In their article, the investigators showed that both ethnicity and body mass index (BMI) were associated strongly with the severity of liver damage in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The investigators showed that the key predictors of steatosis, necroinflammation, fibrosis, and cirrhosis are as follows: ethnicity (in Hispanics the fibrosis index is higher than in non-Hispanic whites and African Americans) and increased BMI.