Factors Associated with Spontaneous Clearance of Hepatitis C Virus in Chinese Population

Abstract

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections spontaneously clear in approximately 15–45% of infected individuals. Factors which influence spontaneous HCV clearance remain to be identified. The purpose of the present study was to identify variables associated with spontaneous HCV clearance in a referred population of Chinese patients. The prevalence of host, viral, and environmental factors known to influence the outcome of HCV infections was compared in 92 HCV spontaneous clearance subjects and 318 HCV persistent infection subjects. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify those factors associated with spontaneous HCV clearance. In univariate analysis, female gender, a history of icteric hepatitis, serologic evidence of concurrent HBV infection, and rs12979860 CC genotype were positively associated with spontaneous HCV clearance, while alcohol consumption was negatively associated with clearance. In multivariate analysis, female gender, a history of icteric hepatitis, concurrent HBV infection, and rs12979860 CC genotype remained independent variables associated with spontaneous HCV clearance. Spontaneous HCV clearance is more likely to occur in females, subjects with a history of icteric hepatitis, HBV coinfections, and those with the rs12979860 CC genotype.

Role of primary T‐cell immunodeficiency and hepatitis B coinfection on spontaneous clearance of hepatitis C: The BC Hepatitis Testers Cohort

“…It is likely that genotype 1 clears faster and thus remains untypable contributing highly to the “unknown” category. Our analysis also found females to have higher likelihood of spontaneous clearance of HCV compared to males, which was maintained across the sensitivity analyses among seroconverters, and is consistent with the findings from other epidemiological studies . This disparity in spontaneous clearance of HCV has been suggested to be linked with sex hormones, particularly oestrogen .…”

“…Coinfection with HBV was associated with a higher likelihood of spontaneous clearance of HCV which is consistent with previous findings in specific high-risk cohorts. 11,17 The study on PWIDs by Grebely et al 3 also reported similar trend but HBV did not reach statistical significance, which may be due to very small number of cases with viral clearance (n=9). Previous research suggested that HBV superinfection may suppress the pre-existing HCV infections.…”

“…[2][3][4][5][6][7][8] The exact mechanisms that determine these outcomes are not well defined, 9,10 even though host, viral and environmental factors have been suggested to influence these outcomes. 3,5,11,12 A growing body of evidence suggests that cellular, particularly T-cell, host immune response against HCV plays a critical role in determining the outcomes of the infection. [13][14][15] Moreover, spontaneous clearance of HCV has been found to be associated with sustained HCV-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses.…”

“…[14][15][16] However, epidemiological research that studied the factors associated with spontaneous clearance of HCV has not examined the role of primary T-cell deficiency on viral clearance. 3,11,12,17,18 Concurrent infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) has also been suggested to be associated with spontaneous clearance of HCV in specific group of population such as hemophiliacs, 12,19 and people who inject drugs (PWID). 3 Most studies on spontaneous clearance were of relatively small size and were conducted in specific high-risk population cohort such as PWID, hemophiliacs or men who have sex with men (MSM).…”

Interleukin-28B Polymorphism is a Pharmacogenetic Predictor during Sofosbuvir Plus Pegylated Interferon and Ribavirin Therapy for Chronic Hepatitis C Egyptian Patients

“…HCV infections spontaneously clear in approximately 15-45% of infected individuals [22,23]. Currently, there is a strong association between the rate of spontaneous clearance of HCV and IFN-λ polymorphisms [24].…”