Clinical and genetic relationships in patients with chronic hepatitis C

Objective. To identify clinical and genetic relationships and to determine predictors for a response to standard dual therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC). Subjects and methods. A Moscow cohort of 70 СНС patients aged 18 to 70 years was examined and divided into 2 groups: 1) 37 patients who responded to standard dual (IFN-α + ribavirin) antiviral therapy (AVT); 2) 33 patients who failed to respond to the same AVT. All the patients underwent genotyping of polymorphic loci in the interleukin 28B (IL-28B) gene and determination of С/С, С/Т and Т/Т (rs12979860), G/G, T/G and Т/Т (rs8099917) genotypes, as well as a hepatic C virus (HCV) genotype was identified. Results. IL-28B C/C (rs12979860) and Т/Т (rs8099917) genotypes were significantly more frequently recorded in Group 1. An analysis of the relation of the genotypes of patients at different IL-28B loci and the efficiency of treatment revealed that the patients with CHC caused by genotype 1 HCV were more commonly found to have the T/T genotype at the rs12979860 loci in 36.4% of cases versus 3.9% in non-genotype 1 HCV patients (p < 0.05). In Group 2, the C/T genotype was identified in both genotype 1 HCV and non-genotype 1 HCV in 66.7% of cases. Analysis of IL28B rs80999927 genotypes revealed no significant differences in their proportion in both HCV genotypes and in relation to a therapeutic response. Conclusion. The data obtained from the analysis of the Moscow cohort of CHC patients suggest that IL-28B C/C (rs12979860) and TT (rs8099917) genotypes are favorable prognostic factors of an AVT response

IL-28B, chronic hepatitis C, genotype, IL-28B, antiviral therapy