Isolated anti-HBc in chronic hepatitis C predicts a poor response to interferon treatment

The sustained response to interferon-alpha treatment was evaluated in 147 a nti-HCV/HCV-RNA-positive, HBsAg-negative, chronic hepatitis patients, accor ding to HCV genotypes and the presence or absence of anti-HBs and anti-HBc. These patients had been included in a controlled study on the safety, tole rability, and efficacy of three types of interferon-alpha given at a dose o f 3 MU three times weekly for 52 weeks. One hundred and two patients had HC V genotype 1, 42 a non-1 HCV genotype and 3 multiple HCV genotypes; 46 were anti-HBs and anti-HBc negative (group A), 50 anti-HBs and anti-HBc positiv e (group B), and 51 anti-HBs negative and anti-HBc positive ("isolated" ant i-HBc, group C). Serum HBV-DNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction in 15 of the 61 (29.4%) patients in group C and in none of those in groups A or B. The Sustained Response rate was higher in patients with a non-1 HCV g enotype than those with HCV genotype 1 (31%vs. 17.7%, P > 0.1). Fewer patie nts in groupC showed a sustained response than in group A or group B (7.8% vs. 30.4%, P = 0.009 and 7.8% vs 28%, P = 0.017, respectively). Moreover, t he sustained response rate was high in patients with a non-1 genotype, both in group A (42.8%) and in group B (42.8%), intermediate in patients with H CV genotype 1 (23.3% in group A and 22.2% in group B) and low in group C, i rrespective of HCV genotype (8.3% for genotype 1 and 7.1% for other genotyp es). The data indicate that patients with HCV chronic hepatitis and isolate d anti-HBc show a poor response to IFN-cc, irrespective of the HCV genotype . (C) 2001Wiley-Liss, Inc.