Relationship between Vitamin D Status and the Early Response To Interferon Therapy among Chronic HCV Egyptian Patients

Abstract

Summary H epatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of chronic hepatitis and the leading cause of end- stage liver disease including liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and the most common indication for liver transplantation, hepatocellular carcinoma represents an important public health problem in Egypt where up to 90% of HCC cases are attributable to HCV infection. HCV is the single most important cause of liver disease in Egypt, where this prevalence is 10-20 folds higher than that in the United States. In Egypt, where hepatitis C is highly endemic (up to 15% of the population), 91% of the patients are infected with HCV genotype 4. Vitamin D has been shown to play an important immunomodulatory role, deficiency of vitamin D has been recently associated to the lack of response to antiviral therapy in chronic hepatitis C patients. This study aims to evaluate the interrelationship between serum level of vitamin D and early response to antiviral therapy in Egyptian patients with chronic HCV infection. This study was coducted on forty five patients with chronic HCV infection intended to receive antiviral treatment (Pegylated interferon and Ribavirin), the study was conducted between December 2011 and May 2012, all the patients were selected from Liver Center in The One Day Surgery Hospitals, and all patients were treated with subcutaneous (Sc) administration of pegylaed interferon of 1.5 mcg/kg/week, plus oral ribavirin at a dose of 1000- 1200 mg/day according to body weight (1000 mg/day for a body weight of < 75 kg, 1200 mg/day for a body weight of > 75 kg) for 48 weeks.