Objective: To investigate changes in intestinal microflora in patients with chronic severe hepatitis (CSH), and their role in this life-threatening disease.
Methods: We classified nineteen patients with chronic severe hepatitis as the CSH group, thirty patients with chronic hepatitis (CH) as the CH group and thirty-one healthy volunteer as the control group. Fecal flora from all subjects were analyzed. Concentrations of plasma endotoxin, serum cytokines tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) and liver function were assessed.
Results: The number of fecal bifidobacterium (P < 0.001, P < 0.05 respectively), as well as bacteroidaceae (P < 0.001, P < 0.01 respectively) were significantly deceased in patients with chronic severe hepatitis compared with the CH and control groups, while the number of enterobacteriaceae (P < 0.001, P < 0.05 respectively) and yeasts (P < 0.01, P < 0.05 respectively) were significantly increased. Levels of plasma endotoxin, serum TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta and total bilirubin (TBiL) were significantly increased in the CSH group. The concentration of endotoxin positively correlated with levels of both TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta and TBiL (P < 0.001, respectively). Levels of plasma endotoxin were positively correlated with the number of fecal enterobacteriaceae and negatively correlated with bifidobacterium (P < 0.05, P < 0.001, respectively).
Conclusion: Intestinal flora in patients with chronic severe hepatitis were severely disturbed and gut microbiological colonization resistance was impaired. Changes in intestinal flora may have a pivotal role in both the elevation of plasma endotoxin and further hepatic lesions resulting in liver failure.