title: Impact of Hispanic or Asian ethnicity on the treatment outcomes of chronic hepatitis C: results from the WIN-R trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  African American ethnicity is a well-described negative predictor of treatment outcome for chronic hepatitis C (CHC); however, less is known about the influence of Hispanic and Asian ethnicity. The aim of this subanalysis of the Weight-based Dosing of PegINterferon α-2b and Ribavirin (WIN-R) study was to assess the impact of Asian (n=118), Hispanic (n=289), and white (n=3919) ethnicity on CHC treatment outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  WIN-R was an investigator-initiated trial in which patients with CHC received pegylated interferon α-2b (1.5 μg/kg/wk) plus a fixed ribavirin dose (800 mg/d) or a weight-based ribavirin dose (800 to 1400 mg/d) for 24 or 48 weeks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sustained virologic response was higher in Asian patients than in white patients (56% vs 46%, P=0.041), and higher in Asian and white patients than in Hispanic patients (56% vs 35%, P=0.0001; and 46% vs 35%, P=0.0002, respectively). In genotype 1 patients, sustained virologic response was higher in white and Asian patients than in Hispanic patients (36% and 45% vs 25%, P<0.001 for both comparisons); however, in genotype 2/3 patients, there were no significant differences among ethnic groups. Psychiatric adverse events were less common and anemia was more common in Asians than in white or Hispanic patients. Ribavirin dose reductions were less frequent in Hispanic patients than in white patients, whereas pegylated interferonα-2b dose reductions were more common in white patients than Hispanic patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These observations highlight the importance of ethnicity as an integral component of the tailored treatment approach to CHC.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of California-Irvine, Orange, CA 92868, USA. kqhu@uci.edu
authors.forename: Ke-Qin
authors.initials: KQ
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Bradley
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Freilich
authors.forename: Robert S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Clifford
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brass
authors.forename: Ira M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Jacobson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001213:Asian / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000208:ethnology*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D019562:Viral Load; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000077190:Interferon alpha-2; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012367:RNA, Viral; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D012254:Ribavirin; C417083:peginterferon alfa-2b