Correlation of IL28B rs12979860 genotype and gender with spontaneous clearance of HCV infection: a Pakistani cross-section study.

AIM: There is a strong correlation of IL28B rs12979860 genetic variations and gender with spontaneous clearance of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. MATERIALS & METHODS: HCV-infected subjects were categorized into HCV spontaneous clearance (SC) group and chronic hepatitis C (CHC) group on the basis of anti-HCV antibodies and HCV RNA level and follow-up of 6 months. 35 subjects were classified in SC group and 165 subjects were classified in CHC group. IL28B rs12979860 genotypes were determined by allele-specific PCR. RESULTS & CONCLUSION: Multinominal logistic regression analyses revealed that both genders favor IL28B rs12979860 CT genotype (OR: 4.80; CI: 2.22-10.35; p = 0.0005) and (OR: 3.47; CI: 1.63-7.43; p = 0.001) for male and female, respectively, are significant in spontaneous clearance of HCV infection.

Predictive value of IL-28B rs12979860 variants for peg-IFN, sofosbuvir plus ribavirin treatment of HCV infection in Pakistani population.

AIM: The correlation of IL28-B genetic variants (rs12979860) with combinational therapy (peg-interferon, sofosbuvir plus ribavirin) of hepatitis C virus infection were studied in 154 chronic hepatitis C patients. METHODS & RESULTS: The sustained virological response for efficient antiviral regimen was achieved in 75.32% treated individuals. Three genotypes of rs12979860 (CC, CT and TT) were compared both in sustained virological response and nonresponders groups (p = 0.25, p ≤ 0.001, p = 0.10, respectively). CT genotype demonstrated a significant correlation (p ≤ 0.001) in both groups with higher positive predictive value (81.55%). CONCLUSION: IL28 polymorphism and positive predictive value may be considered as the markers for the evaluation of the effectiveness of the treatment regimen. Further clinical trials are recommended to verify the role of IL28-B in hepatitis C virus treatment.