title: Methylene Tetrahydrofolate Reductase Gene Polymorphism is Associated with Severity of Liver Steatosis in Chronically Infected Patients with HCV Genotype 4.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphism was reported as a genetic variant in liver steatosis and fibrosis. This is a study of the association between MTHFR C677T polymorphism and HCV core with severity of steatosis in HCV GT4 patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  111 HCV patients and 112 control subjects were recruited. Polymorphism was detected by RFLP analysis, core Ag was detected by ELISA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Combined HCV infection and MTHFR C677T polymorphism increases the risk to develop steatosis by 3.63- and 5.21-fold in subjects with single (CT) and double (TT) substitutions, respectively. Patients with chronic HCV infection had a 2.88- and 8.57-fold higher risk to develop steatosis in CT and TT genotypes, respectively, than patients with the (CC) genotype. No significant difference in core Ag titers were observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MTHFR C677T polymorphism is a valuable genetic marker for steatosis, while HCV core Ag titer had no association with grades of steatosis in GT4 infections.
authors.forename: Reham M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Dawood
authors.forename: Eman M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Mahmoud
authors.forename: Marwa K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Ibrahim
authors.forename: Noha G Bader El
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Din
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aboul-Enein
authors.forename: Naglaa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zayed
authors.forename: Yasmine S El
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Abd
authors.forename: Hadeel G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Eldeen
authors.forename: Rasha
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Eletreby
authors.forename: Marwa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Elsharkawy
authors.forename: Moataza
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Omran
authors.forename: Reem
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: El-Shenawy
authors.forename: Sayed A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Fayed
authors.forename: Mostafa K El
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Awady
mesh_terms: D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000821:virology; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D042965:Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2) / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: C573423:MTHFR protein, human; D042965:Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2)