الفهرس 
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Abstract
ABSTRACT
Background: Pegylated interferon plus ribavirin is the standard therapy for treatment of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients, this therapy is only effective in 50–60% of infected individuals. Pretreatment predictors associated with sustained virological response (SVR) to interferon treatment have not yet been fully investigated. Several factors have been shown to influence response to antiviral treatment, one of them is interleukin – 18 (IL- 18). Therefore, the current study is designated to assess serum Interleukin – 18 levels in CHC genotype 4 patients and investigate its benefit as a predictor of antiviral response.
Patients and Methods: This study was performed on fifty Egyptian chronic hepatitis C patients, who received combined pegylated interferon alpha and ribavirin therapy as well as twenty healthy blood donors as a control group. Quantitative hepatitis C virus RNA was done by real time RT-PCR technique. Serum IL-18 level was assayed using quantitative ELISA plate method.
Results: The mean level of IL- 18 was significantly higher in CHC-4 patients (212.15 Pg/ml) compared to the controls (48.95 Pg/ml). IL-18 level in responders was significantly reduced after 6 months from the end of treatment compared to those at baseline level (P=0.001), but such decrease was lower than that in non responders (P=0.058). IL-18 level was positively correlated with high and moderate viral load in non responders. The best cut-off value of IL- 18 was (218 pg/ml) that might predict response to antiviral treatment; with sensitivity of 62.1% and specificity of 42.9 %.
Conclusions: Serum IL- 18 levels has the potential to be used as a biological marker to predict outcome of antiviral therapy among CHC genotype 4 patients.
Keywords: Hepatitis C virus (HCV), Chronic hepatitis C (CHC), Chronic liver disease (CLD), Reverse transcription real time polymerase chain reaction (rt-RT-PCR), Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Antiviral therapy (interferon, ribavirin), Interleukin- 18 (IL- 18).