Do differences exist between chronic hepatitis C genotypes 2 and 3?

• Published in: Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical Vol. 47; no. 2; pp. 143 - 148
• Main Authors: Melo, Isaura Cunha, Ferraz, Maria Lucia Gomes, Perez, Renata Mello, Emori, Christine Takemi, Uehara, Silvia Naomi de Oliveira, de Carvalho-Filho, Roberto José, Silva, Antonio Eduardo Benedito, de Souza e Silva, Ivonete Sandra
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brazil Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical - SBMT 01-03-2014; Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT)
• Subjects: Disease Progression; Female; Fibrosis; Genotype; HCV-2; HCV-3; Hepacivirus - genetics; Hepatitis C; Hepatitis C, Chronic - pathology; Hepatitis C, Chronic - virology; Humans; Liver Cirrhosis - virology; Male; Middle Aged; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Retrospective Studies; RNA, Viral - genetics; TROPICAL MEDICINE; Hepatitis C; HCV-2; HCV-3; Fibrosis
• ISSN: 0037-8682; 1678-9849; 1678-9849; 0037-8682
• DOI: 10.1590/0037-8682-0269-2013

Six genotypes of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) have been identified thus far, and their distribution is well defined. Genotype 1, which is the most prevalent worldwide, is always compared to genotypes 2 and 3, particularly in terms of treatment response. However, little is known about the differences between genotypes 2 and 3 because these genotypes are analyzed together in most studies. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate differences in the clinical, epidemiological, laboratory, and histological parameters between HCV-2 and HCV-3.
Patients with chronic hepatitis C infected with genotypes 2 and 3 were studied retrospectively and compared according to clinical, laboratory, and histological aspects. Hepatitis C virus-ribonucleic acid (HCV-RNA) was analyzed quantitatively by TaqMan® real-time PCR, and the HCV genotype was determined by sequencing the 5'-untranslated region.
A total of 306 patients with chronic HCV-2 (n=50) and HCV-3 (n = 256) were studied. Subtype 2b (n=17/50) and subtype 3a (n=244/256) were the most prevalent among patients infected with HCV-2 and HCV-3, respectively. The mean age was 47 ± 10 years, and there was a predominance of men in the group studied (61%). Comparative analysis between HCV-2 and HCV-3 showed a younger age (p=0.002), less prevalence of arterial hypertension (p=0.03), higher serum albumin levels (p=0.01), more advanced stage of liver fibrosis (p=0.03), and higher frequency of steatosis in patients with HCV-3 (p=0.001). After multivariate regression analysis, all the variables, except serum albumin, remained as variables associated with HCV-3 in the final model.
Clinical and histological differences exist between HCV-2 and HVC-3, which suggests the need for separate analyses of these genotypes.