Abstract
Background Egypt has the highest prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the world. Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is a pleiotropic cytokine that is elevated in chronic hepatitis C patients. IL-6 was suggested by several studies to play a major role in response to HCV therapy. Aim The aim of this work was to assess the possible role of IL-6 in the response status of patients with HCV during treatment. Moreover, we attempted to use IL-6 as a predictive factor for response in patients with chronic HCV. Patients and methods Serum concentrations of IL-6 were measured before and after treatment using a commercially available Quantikine enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 57 patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with sofosbuvir and simeprevir for 3 months. Results The mean values of IL-6 level in responders and nonresponders were 272.96 and 230.5 pg/ml, respectively. IL-6 levels decreased significantly after treatment in the sustained virological response group. The best cutoff point for IL-6 was 233 pg/ml with a sensitivity of 70%, a specificity of 75%, a positive predictive value of 97.2%, and a negative predictive value of 16.7%. Conclusion Virological response during HCV therapy was associated with a decrease in IL-6 level.
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