HCV RNA levels in a multiethnic cohort of injection drug users: human genetic, viral and demographic associations.

Unlabelled: In patients with chronic hepatitis C, the hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA level is an important predictor of treatment response. To explore the relationship of HCV RNA with viral and demographic factors, as well as IL28B genotype, we examined viral levels in an ethnically diverse group of injection drug users (IDUs). Between 1998 and 2000, the Urban Health Study (UHS) recruited IDUs from street settings in San Francisco Bay area neighborhoods.

IL28B rs12979860 genotype and spontaneous clearance of hepatitis C virus in a multi-ethnic cohort of injection drug users: evidence for a supra-additive association.

Among 1369 Urban Health Study participants, we evaluated genetic models for the association of IL28B genotype (rs12979860 and rs8099917) with hepatitis C virus (HCV) clearance. For rs12979860, adjusted odds ratios for spontaneous HCV clearance were as follows: IL28B-CC, 3.88 (P < .