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Previous data suggest that, among patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, liver disease progresses more slowly in those with persistently normal aminotransferase levels than in those with abnormal levels. Do differences also exist in perceived health-related quality of life?
Investigators in Germany conducted a cross-sectional study to compare three groups: 45 HCV patients who had normal liver-enzyme levels documented on three occasions during a 6-month period (mean alanine aminotransferase [ALT] level, 15 U/L; mean aspartate aminotransferase [AST] level, 12 U/L), 70 patients who had abnormal liver-enzyme levels documented during the same period (mean ALT level, 49 U/L; mean AST level, 24 U/L), and 50 healthy controls withou…