Response of Black African patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 4 to treat- ment with peg-interferon and ribavirin

Aim : To compare responses to therapy of Black African (BA) and non-Black African (non- BA) patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 4 (HCV-4) residing in Belgium. Methods : In this retrospective multicenter study, 473 patients with HCV-4 were selected from databases at 7 Belgian centers ; 209 treatment-naïve patients (154 BA) had received treatment with peg-interferon (peg-IFN) plus ribavirin (RBV) and were included in the study. Results : There was a greater percentage of female patients in the BA group than in the non- BA group ; BA patients were also older, had a greater body mass index, and more frequently had abnormal glucose metabolism. The route of contamination was more fre- quently unknown in BA than in non-BA patients and BA patients had more HCV-4 subtypes. There were no differences in other de- mographic factors between the groups. Sustained viral response (SVR) and complete early viral response rates were significantly lower and relapse rates significantly higher in BA than in non-BA patients. There were no differences between groups in rates of dose modification or in drug tolerance. Conclusion : In our cohort, treatment-naïve BA patients with HCV-4 who were treated with peg-IFN and ribavirin had a much lower SVR rate than treatment-naïve non-BA patients with HCV- 4 who were treated with peg-IFN and ribavirin, and a higher relapse rate, possibly related to a weaker response to interferon- based therapy. Treatment may need to be adapted in this popula- tion. (Acta gastroenterol. belg., 2013, 76, 291-299).