Relationship between antibodies to hepatitis C virus core+1 protein and treatment outcome

Annals of Gastroenterology : Quarterly Publication of the Hellenic Society of Gastroenterology
Theodora MylopoulouKonstantinos Mimidis

Abstract

It has been suggested that hepatitis C virus (HCV) core+1 protein plays a crucial role in the viral life cycle, potentially affecting liver cirrhosis and the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. To investigate its relationship with the outcome of HCV standard combination therapy with peginterferon-α plus ribavirin, we screened 139 consecutive HCV patients (119 with chronic HCV infection and 20 who spontaneously cleared HCV) for the presence of anti-core+1 antibodies (Abs). In addition, liver fibrosis was determined by FibroScan in all but one patients. Twenty-nine patients were cirrhotic (stiffness >12.5 kPa, F4 METAVIR), all of them with mild liver cirrhosis (Child-Pugh score A). Eighty-six of 139 patients were treatment-experienced with standard combination therapy. Fifty of them had achieved a sustained virological response, while 36 were non-responders. The prevalence of anti-core+1 Abs in patients with chronic HCV infection was 22.69% (27/119 patients): 18% (9/50 patients) in responders and 36.11% (13/36 patients) in non-responders (P=0.050). Five (17.24%) of the 29 cirrhotic patients and 22 (24.72%) of the 89 non-cirrhotic patients were positive for anti-core+1 Abs (P=0.405). Furthermore, the presence of anti-core+1 A...Continue Reading

Citations

May 30, 2020·Journal of Medical Virology·Mahdi MohamadiMehdi Ajorloo

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
ELISA

Software Mentioned

FibroScan

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