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HFE C282Y gene variant is a risk factor for the progression to decompensated liver disease in chronic viral hepatitis C subjects in the Czech population
Author(s) -
Pácal Lukáš,
Husa Petr,
Znojil Vladimír,
Kan̆ková Kater̆ina
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
hepatology research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.123
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1872-034X
pISSN - 1386-6346
DOI - 10.1111/j.1872-034x.2007.00118.x
Subject(s) - liver disease , medicine , exact test , chronic liver disease , haplotype , gastroenterology , genotype , population , hepatitis c , immunology , viral hepatitis , biology , cirrhosis , gene , genetics , environmental health
Aim: To determine the prevalence of selected HFE polymorphisms (C282Y, H63D and S65C) among patients with chronic viral hepatitis B and C and to investigate their role in the progression of liver disease. Methods: A total of 207 subjects with chronic B or C viral hepatitis and 243 healthy controls were enrolled in the case–control study. Cases were further classified into three groups according to the clinical stage of liver disease: (A) virus carriers; (B) compensated liver disease; and (C) decompensated liver disease. HFE polymorphisms were detected by polymerase chain reaction‐based methodology. Fisher's exact test, χ 2 and Kruskal–Wallis tests were used to test for differences in variables studied between groups. Haplotypes were inferred in silico and their distribution compared by permutation test. Modified survival (time‐to‐event) analysis was used to test for the differences in the progression to the decompensated liver disease in carriers of C282Y wild‐type versus mutated genotypes. Results: The frequency of HFE genotypes, alleles and haplotypes differed neither between HBV nor HCV patients versus controls. In HCV subjects: (i) the frequency of the 282Y allele was significantly higher in the (C) group compared to (B) group (12.5 vs 2.2%, respectively, P = 0.002, Fisher's exact test); and (ii) carriers of the 282Y mutation exhibited significantly faster progression to decompensated liver disease than wild‐type carriers ( P = 0.044, log–rank test). Conclusion: Carriage of the minor HFE C282Y polymorphism is associated with decompensated liver disease and its earlier onset in the subjects with chronic viral hepatitis C in the Czech population.