Vitamin D levels in Egyptian HCV patients (Genotype 4) treated with pegylated interferon

Background/Aim : Vitamin D has been shown to play an im- portant immunomodulatory role. Deficiency of vitamin D has been recently associated to the lack of response to interferon therapy in Hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infected patients. This study aims to evaluate serum level of vitamin D and verify whether circulating vitamin D has any independent role in predicting the rates of HCV virologic response after the adminis- tration of pegylated interferon to Egyptian patients infected with genotype 4 HCV. Methods : Fifty patients infected with HCV genotype 4 and not co-infected with neither Hepatitis B virus nor Human Immuno- deffiency Virus were recruited for the study. They were treated with ribavirin-pegylated interferon alpha 2a. Viral titer was deter- mined at baseline, at 12 weeks and at end of treatment (48 weeks). Vitamin D levels and a biochemical profile were obtained for the patients at baseline and at end of treatment. Vitamin D control group consisting of 20 healthy patients of similar age and weight to the study group were recruited to obtain vitamin D levels. Results : Vitamin D levels in HCV infected patients were signifi- cantly lower than in healthy subjects. Responders to ribavirin plus pegylated interferon alpha 2a therapy had significantly higher vitamin D levels than non-responders. Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency predicts an unfavorable response to interferon-based treatment of HCV. (Acta gastroenterol. belg., 2013, 76, 38-44).