Aims. To describe the prevalence of hepatic steatosis using a controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) and to identify the determinants associated with steatosis in Thai chronic hepatitis C patients. Patients and Methods. An observational study was conducted among consecutive chronic hepatitis C patients who underwent vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE, FibroScan®) with CAP and followed up at Rajavithi Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand, between June 2018 and May 2019. Hepatic steatosis (i.e., steatosis grades S1-3) was defined by the CAP cutoff value of ≥248 (dB/m). VCTE with CAP assessments and medical records were retrospectively reviewed, and the prevalence and determinants of hepatic steatosis were analyzed. Results. A total of 197 eligible patients, of whom 127 (64.5%) were male, were included. The mean age was 54.52 years (SD 9.49 years), and 41.1% of subjects had a body
mass
index
≥
25
. The prevalence of hepatic steatosis was 26.9%. The mean liver stiffness measurement (LSM) was 21.50 kPa (SD 15.58 kPa), and 61.9% of the study population had cirrhosis, which was defined as
LSM
≥
12.5
kPa. Genotype (GT) 3 was predominant at 40.1%, followed by GT1 at 38.1% and GT6 at 21.8%. The median serum hepatitis C virus viral load was 1,100,000 IU/mL (range 5,824-20,436,840). The significant determinants of hepatic steatosis were obesity (aOR 8.58 (95% CI: 3.41-21.54)) and diabetes mellitus (aOR 3.30 (95% CI: 1.24-8.78)). Conclusion. A large proportion of these Thai chronic hepatitis C patients (26.9%) had hepatic steatosis, which was strongly associated with host metabolic factors, e.g., obesity (
BMI
≥
25
) and diabetes mellitus. These cofactors contributed to the progression of liver disease to cirrhosis and required concurrent management with antiviral therapy.
METABOLIC FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH HEPATIC STEATOSIS AND FIBROSIS IN CHRONIC HEPATITIS C PATIENTS.
