[Hepatitis B virus infection in alcoholics].

Chromosomal analysis has been carried out in 4 patients with the symptoms of hepatic coma. An analysis included lymphocytes cultured from peripheral blood. Chromosomal disorders have been assessed with two techniques: structural chromosomal aberrations test, and sister chromatid exchange (SCE) test. It has been shown that the extend of chromosomal damage in the form of the gaps, breaks, acentric chromosomes as well as the presence of ring and dicentric chromosomes, and micronuclear cells have been higher in the examined patients. Such changes may evidence DNA repair disorders, and the presence of micronuclear forms may seem an unfavourable prognosis.