Prevalence of IL28B Polymorphism in Hepatitis C Patients

Response to peginterferon and ribavirin treatment in hepatitis C (HCV) depends on viral and host factors. Single nucleotide polypmorphisms (SNP) near to IL28B gene (especially at rs12979860 and rs8099917) are strongly associated with the response to treatment in HCV genotype 1 infection, less so in HCV genotype 2/3 infection. CC genotype in rs12979860 and TT genotype at rs8099917 are associated with good treatment outcome. Asian populations have high prevalence of CC genotype in other studies, which can explain relatively good response to peginterferon/ ribavirin in genotype 1 infection in Asians compared with Caucasians.