Treatment Response to Oral Antivirals in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients: Assessment of Polymorphism in the IL-28B Gene (rs809991)

Objectives: Chronic hepatitis C treatment response is strongly associated with interleukin 28B (IL-28B) single nucleotide gene polymorphism (SNP). In this study, we aimed to investigate the association of the IL-28B rs8099917 SNP with the first-year virological response in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients receiving antiviral treatment.Materials and Methods: We enrolled 100 CHB patients over the age of 18 years who had been on oral antiviral treatment for at least a year. IL-28B rs8099917 SNP was analyzed from the blood samples by polymerase chain reaction. The first-year virological response was investigated retrospectively.Results: No statistically significant association was found between the IL-28B rs8099917 SNP and first-year virological response (p=1.000). The mean age of patients who did not obtain a first-year virological response was significantly lower than that of those who did (p=0.022), and the median values of alanine aminotransferase (xULN) and hepatitis B virus (HBV)-DNA log(10)IU/ mL were higher (p<0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). The first year virologic response rate was significantly lower in hepatitis B e antigen-positive patients than in negative patients (p<0.001). In the multivariate model, it was found that having a high HBVDNA level was strongly linked to not having a first-year virological response (risk ratio: 1.995, 95% confidence interval 1.311-3.036, p=0.001).Conclusion: An association between IL-28B SNP and first-year virological response was not found in patients with CHB. Studies assessing different IL-28B SNPs are warranted to understand the factors affecting treatment response.