The interferon lambda 4 rs368234815 predicts treatment response to pegylated?interferon alpha and ribavirin in hemophilic patients with chronic hepatitis C

Abstract

Background: A dinucleotide variant rs368234815 in interferon lambda 4 (IFNL4) gene was recently found to be associated with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment response. This study aimed to assess the impact of IFNL4 rs368234815 polymorphism on treatment response to pegylated?IFN alpha (Peg?IFN??) and ribavirin (RBV) in hemophilic patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC). Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study, 92 hemophilic patients with CHC who were treated with Peg?IFN??/RBV were investigated. Single?nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in IFNL genomic region including rs368234815, rs12979860, and rs8099917 were analyzed by DNA sequencing. Results: Of the 92 patients, 63 (68.5%) achieved sustained virological response (SVR). Of the 43 patients with rs368234815 TT/TT genotype, 36 (83.7%) achieved SVR, while in 49 patients with non?TT/TT genotypes, 27 (55.1%) achieved SVR. Other pretreatment parameters predicted SVR were patients’ body mass index, HCV genotype, rs12979860, and rs8099917 SNPs. In multivariate analysis, all above?mentioned parameters except rs8099917 remained as predictors of SVR. IFNL4 rs368234815 was a strong predictor of SVR; however, the prediction power of this SNP was the same as that of rs12979860 SNP in the patients of the current study. Conclusion: IFNL4 rs368234815 SNP can be considered for decision?making in the treatment of HCV?infected patients.

Key words: Genetic polymorphism, hepatitis C, human interferon lambda 4 protein