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Baseline cholesterol is associated with the response to antiviral therapy in chronic hepatitis C
Michael Economou1, Haralampos Milionis, Spyridon Filis
1First Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece. meconom@cc.uoi.gr
Insights
Higher baseline cholesterol and lower BMI predict better response to Hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment. These lipid profiles and body mass index (BMI) can help identify patients likely to respond to antiviral therapy.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Virology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Hepatitis C virus (HCV) interaction with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptors suggests a role for lipids in viral clearance.
- Understanding factors influencing treatment response is crucial for managing HCV infection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if baseline lipid profiles can differentiate responders from non-responders in HCV patients.
- To identify predictive biomarkers for antiviral therapy success in Hepatitis C.
Main Methods:
- Studied 109 HCV patients, measuring serum lipids, aminotransferases, viral load, and HCV genotype.
- Utilized multivariate logistic regression to analyze associations between baseline factors and treatment response.
Main Results:
- Responders showed significantly higher baseline total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B levels compared to non-responders.
- Increased total cholesterol and apolipoprotein B were associated with higher odds of treatment response, even after adjusting for multiple factors.
- A lower body mass index (BMI) was inversely associated with treatment response.
Conclusions:
- Baseline serum total cholesterol levels are a potential predictor of response to antiviral therapy in HCV patients.
- Body mass index (BMI) may also serve as a helpful factor in discriminating treatment responders among individuals with Hepatitis C.
Background:
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) partially interacts with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptors, suggesting a role for lipids in regulating HCV clearance. Our aim was to study if baseline lipids can discriminate responders from non-responders among patients with HCV infection.
Methods:
A total of 109 HCV patients were studied. Laboratory measurements included serum lipids, aminotransferases and viral load, as well as HCV genotype determinations.
Results:
Responders (n = 53) had significantly higher serum baseline levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B compared to non-responders (n = 56). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that a 10 mg/dL increase in total cholesterol was associated with 3.02 higher odds of responding to treatment (95% CI 1.74-5.32, P < 0.001), while a 10 mg/dL increase in apolipoprotein B levels was associated with 1.81 higher odds of responding to treatment (95% CI 1.37-2.54, P < 0.001), after adjustment for age, sex, body mass index (BMI), smoking habits, baseline viral load, liver histology and administration of pegylated interferon. An inverse association between BMI and response to treatment was also evident (adjusted odds ratio 0.73, 95% CI 0.55-0.96; P = 0.03).
Conclusion:
Baseline serum total cholesterol levels and BMI could be helpful in discriminating responders to antiviral therapy among patients with HCV infection.
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