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Copyright ©2008 The WJG Press and Baishideng. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jun 7, 2008; 14(21): 3416-3420
Published online Jun 7, 2008. doi: 10.3748/wjg.14.3416
Treatment responses in Asians and Caucasians with chronic hepatitis C infection
Kenneth K Yan, Marianne Guirgis, Thuy Dinh, Jacob George, Anouk Dev, Alice Lee, Amany Zekry
Kenneth K Yan, Marianne Guirgis, Amany Zekry, Department of Hepatology, St George Hospital, Kogarah, Sydney 2217, NSW, Australia
Thuy Dinh, Anouk Dev, Department of Gastroenterology, Monash Medical Centre, Melbourne 3168, Victoria, Australia
Jacob George, Storr Liver Unit, Westmead Millennium Institute, University of Sydney and Westmead Hospital, Sydney 2217, NSW, Australia
Alice Lee, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Concord Repatriation Hospital, Concord, Sydney 2217, NSW, Australia
Author contributions: Yan KK designed research; Yan KK, Guirgis M and Dinh T performed research; George J, Dev A and Lee A advised on research design; Zekry A originated research topic and supervised the project; Yan KK and Zekry A analysed results and wrote the paper.
Correspondence to: Dr. Amany Zekry, Department of Medicine, St. George Hospital, Kogarah, Sydney 2217, NSW, Australia. a.zekry@unsw.edu.au
Telephone: +61-2-91132019
Fax: +61-2-91133993
Received: December 22, 2007
Revised: May 7, 2008
Accepted: May 14, 2008
Published online: June 7, 2008
Abstract

AIM: To conduct a multicentre retrospective review of virological response rates in Asians infected with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C (CHC) treated with combination interferon and ribavirin and then to compare their responses to that among Caucasians.

METHODS: Asian patients infected with genotype 1 CHC treated at 4 Australian centres between 2001 to 2005 were identified through hospital databases. Baseline demographic characteristics, biochemical, virological and histological data and details of treatment were collected. Sustained virological responses (SVR) in this cohort were then compared to that in Caucasian subjects, matched by genotype, age, gender and the stage of hepatic fibrosis.

RESULTS: A total of 108 Asians with genotype 1 CHC were identified. The end of treatment response (ETR) for the cohort was 79% while the SVR was 67%. Due to the relatively advanced age of the Asian cohort, only sixty-four subjects could be matched with Caucasians. The ETR among matched Asians and Caucasians was 81% and 56% respectively (P = 0.003), while the SVR rates were 73% and 36% (P < 0.001) respectively. This difference remained significant after adjusting for other predictive variables.

CONCLUSION: Genotype 1 CHC in Asian subjects is associated with higher rates of virological response compared to that in Caucasians.

Keywords: Hepatitis C; Treatment; Asians; Retro-spective studies; Comparative study; Interferon; Ribavirin; Statistical data analysis