Relationship between regulatory T cells and the combination of pegylated interferon and ribavirin for the treatment of chronic hepatitis type C.

Background/aim: The frequency of regulatory T cells (Tregs) may be related to persistent hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. We studied the alteration of the Treg ratio in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from chronic hepatitis C patients during combination therapy compared with the Treg ratio in liver-infiltrating lymphocytes (LILs) before therapy.

Method: The study group consisted of 20 patients who were treatment-naive and had high virus titers of HCV genotype 1.