Studying the Role of Fat Mass and Obesity Associated (FTO) Gene Polymorphism in Treatment Outcome of Hepatitis C Virus

Abstract

hronic hepatitis C is a worldwide resistant fatal problem, and represents a heavy burden in Egypt specifically. Clinicians have depended for years on PEG-IFN-α injections+ RBV weight-based tablets as a main stay of therapy for chronic HCV given for 24 or 48 weeks. The appearance of the new oral medications have advantage that better efficacy, shorter regimens, patient tolerability and convenience, Moreover, in Egypt it is still advised that DAAs regimens be taken along with PEG-IFN-α+ RBV. Patients in the current study were assigned to receive triple anti HCV therapy, PEG-IFN-α, RBV and SOF according to current guidlines, in the doses of 180µg (PEG- IFN-α) / week, 800-1000 mg RBV given orally daily based on body weight and 400mg of sofosbuvir orally daily. However, since PEG-IFN-α /RBV is hampered by its long duration, the high burden of side effects, and failure of therapy in 40-60% of case studies aiming to maximize use and regimen for this therapy are warranted. Several factors related to both the virus and the host and interplay between them, are emerging as possible effectors on treatment outcome or possible predictors for achieving SVR. One of the fields gaining growing interest especially among clinicians is how simple variations in host genetic SNPs could affect HCV therapeutic outcome. However, in Egypt well rounded, replicate studies taking into account different host and viral factors are still needed.