Chronic Hepatitis C - Genotype 3 Clinical Trial
Official title:
Demography, Clinical Characteristics, Metabolic Status, Viral Subtype and Genetics of Infection With Hepatitis C Genotype 3 in Canada
Hepatitis C is a small RNA virus spread by blood to blood contamination. There are to date 6 known genotypes and within each there are several subtypes. Although all genotypes are distributed worldwide some are more common in certain countries and/or among certain populations.
Genotype 3(G3) infection is the predominant type in South East Asia (Bangladesh, Pakistan,
India and Sri Lanka). In addition, because of the "promiscuous exposure" to hepatitis C
amongst injection drug users, it is not unusual for the latter to be infected with G3 as
well. There are several subtypes of G3. Viral genotype has long been recognized as a major
factor influencing the response to interferon-based therapy. Patients infected with G2 and
G3 respond much better to current therapy with peginterferon and ribavirin than those
infected with G1 and G4. Most studies have grouped patients with G2 and G3 together, with
few published comparisons of rates of viral clearance between these two favourable
genotypes.
More recently it has become evident that in all individuals with chronic hepatitis C, the
presence of insulin resistance, with or without the accompanying metabolic syndrome, is a
major factor which influencing the response to antiviral therapy in CHC.
Very recently it has been reported and confirmed by several sites worldwide that specific
polymorphisms of the IL28 gene are closely correlated with response to antiviral therapy in
genotype 1 CHC. Interestingly, the polymorphisms were also shown to segregate according to
ethnicity and may explain, at least in part, the marked differences in treatment response
between different ethnic groups.
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Observational Model: Case-Only, Time Perspective: Prospective