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Impaired response to high-dose interferon treatment in African-Americans with chronic hepatitis C

Nicola De Maria1, Alessandra Colantoni, Ramazan Idilman

  • 1Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Loyola University Medical Center, Building 114, Room 48, 2160 South 1st Ave, Maywood, IL 60153, USA. ndemari@luc.edu

Hepato-Gastroenterology
|June 18, 2002
PubMed

Insights

African-Americans showed a significantly lower response to interferon-alpha treatment for hepatitis C virus infection compared to Caucasians. This suggests potential genetic or environmental factors influencing treatment outcomes in different racial groups.

Area of Science:

  • Hepatology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Pharmacogenomics

Background:

  • Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection prevalence is higher in African-Americans than Caucasians in the USA.
  • Limited data exists on HCV infection outcomes in Black and minority populations.
  • This study investigates racial disparities in response to interferon-alpha therapy for chronic HCV.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the treatment response rates of African-Americans and Caucasians with chronic hepatitis C to high-dose interferon-alpha.
  • To identify potential factors contributing to observed differences in treatment efficacy between racial groups.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective case-control study involving 31 African-Americans and 62 Caucasians with chronic hepatitis C.
  • Subjects were matched for key demographic and clinical characteristics (gender, age, cirrhosis, histologic score, viral genotype).
  • All participants received high-dose interferon-alpha (5 mU/day) for 12 months, with response assessed at multiple time points.

Main Results:

  • African-Americans demonstrated significantly lower response rates to interferon-alpha compared to Caucasians across all assessed endpoints.
  • On-therapy, 26% of African-Americans achieved HCV-RNA negativity and normal transaminases versus 60% of Caucasians (P < 0.01).
  • End-of-therapy response rates were 10% for African-Americans and 53% for Caucasians (P < 0.0001).

Conclusions:

  • African-Americans exhibit a diminished response to high-dose interferon-alpha therapy for chronic hepatitis C.
  • Both environmental and genetic factors may contribute to the impaired clearance of hepatitis C virus infection in African-Americans.
  • Further research is warranted to elucidate the mechanisms behind these racial disparities in treatment outcomes.
Abstract

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