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Updated: Feb 11, 2026

Measurement of the Hepatic Venous Pressure Gradient and Transjugular Liver Biopsy
Published on: June 18, 2020
PNPLA3 rs738409 polymorphism is associated with liver fibrosis progression in patients with chronic hepatitis C: A
María Ángeles Jiménez-Sousa1, Ana Zaida Gómez-Moreno2, Daniel Pineda-Tenor3
1Unidad de Infección Viral e Inmunidad, Centro Nacional de Microbiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Majadahonda, Spain.
Background:
Host genetic background has been associated with liver fibrosis progression.
Objective:
To analyze the association between the patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing 3 (PNPLA3) rs738409 polymorphism and liver fibrosis progression in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients.
Study Design:
In this retrospective cohort study, 187 patients with chronic HCV infection were included, who had at least two liver stiffness measurements (LSM) by transient elastography during the follow-up. Results were expressed in kilopascals (kPa). The analysis of genetic association was carried out according to additive model by using Generalized Linear Models.
Results:
No patients had advanced fibrosis/cirrhosis at baseline. During a median follow-up time of 47.9 months, 15 patients developed advanced fibrosis and 17 cirrhosis. In multivariate analysis adjusted by the main clinical and epidemiological covariates, the rs738409 G allele was related to higher increase of LSM values during the follow-up (adjusted arithmetic mean ratio (aAMR) = 1.16 (95%CI = 1.04; 1.29); p = .006) and higher odds of having progression to advanced fibrosis [aOR = 2.03 (95%CI = 1.01; 4.06); p = .045], and progression to cirrhosis [aOR = 3.03 (95%CI = 1.26; 7.30); p = .014].
Conclusions:
PNPLA3 rs738409 polymorphism appears to be related to the increased progression of liver fibrosis in HCV infected patients.
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