Vitamin D deficiency and a CYP27B1–1260 promoter polymorphism are associated with chronic hepatitis C and poor response to interferon-alfa based therapy

Aims: Vitamin D is an important immune modulator and preliminary data indicated an association between vitamin D deficiency and sustained virologic response (SVR) rates in hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 patients. We therefore performed a comprehensive analysis on the impact of vitamin D serum levels and of genetic polymorphisms with functional relevance within the vitamin D cascade on chronic hepatitis C and its treatment. Methods: Vitamin D serum levels, genetic polymorphisms within the vitamin D receptor and 1-alpha-hydroxylase were determined in a cohort of 468 HCV genotype 1, 2 and 3 infected patients wh…