Ozone/ Oxygen therapy in management of Hepatitis C infection (Biochemical and Virological Results)

Said Shalaby^a, Maamoun Ashour^b, Ahmed Sadek^c & Ihab Kamal^b
aDepartment of complementary medicine, Medical Division, National Research Centre, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt
^bDepartment of tropical medicine, Faculty of medicine, Ain-Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
^cDepartment of gastroenterology and Hepatology, Theodore Bilhariz Institute, Giza, Egypt
Received 11^th January, 2009; revised 13^th July, 2009

Abstract: Previous studies revealed that ozone/oxygen mixture is safe in management of hepatic fibrosis due to chronic HCV infection. In the present investigation, the effect of ozone/oxygen mixture as anti-inflammatory or antifibrotic agent, was evaluated in patients with chronic HCV infection. Ozone/oxygen mixture was given through rectal insuflation daily for 10 days followed by twice weekly for 12 weeks; where oxygen is absorbed into the body through the major arteries in the colon. Thirty patients with HCV at different stages of the disease, were subjected to history taking, medical examination, abdominal ultrasonography, routine laboratory investigations, PCR test, and liver biopsy. All these were done after taking informed consent from each patient. Then ozone was taken for 12 weeks and the same was repeated again. The obtained results showed that the grade of inflammation dropped from 11.7 to 10.8 in 60% of patients with P value <-0.05; halving a mean of point drop. Fibrosis staging dropped significantly; with P value <0.01 in 50% of cases, with a mean value of 1-2 points based on lshak Modification of Knodell scoring system. AST (SGOT) dropped significantly; with P value <0.05, ALT (SGPT), Alkaline Phosphatase, S. albumin, S. bilirubin, Prothrombin Concentration, Complete Blood Picture and KR results were non significantly changed.