Background: Occult HBV infection in subjects with chronic hepatitis C is related to more severe disease outcome. It has been suggested that it might reduce sensitivity to antiviral treatment.
Aims: To assess in HBsAg negative subjects with chronic hepatitis C any effect of the presence of HBV genomes in the liver on the early kinetics of HCV-RNA under PEG-IFN plus ribavirin.
Patients and methods: Twenty-two anti-HCV and HCV-RNA positive subjects, with biopsy-proven chronic hepatitis C (M/F 15/7; 50 +/- 8.6 years, 16 genotype 1b) were given PEG-IFN alpha 2b 1.0 microg qw plus ribavirin (800 to 1,200 mg daily according to body weight) for an intended 52 week period. Early virological response was assessed over the first 4 weeks of therapy by quantifying HCV-RNA. Occult HBV infection was assessed by testing for HBV-DNA in the liver before therapy.
Results: HBV genomes were found in the liver of 7 of 22 (31.4%) patients, unrelated to anti-HBc status. Kinetics of HCV-RNA during the first 4 weeks of antiviral treatment was unaffected by occult HBV infection, both in terms of absolute reduction of viral load and of number of cases with a reduction of > or = 2 log10 on treatment.
Conclusions: Occult HBV infection does not affect the early phase of response to combination therapy. Further follow-up of patients into the maintenance phase of antiviral treatment and after stopping it will clarify if and when occult HBV has a role in reducing sustained virological response.