HLA-B*15:02 is associated with anemia in patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with pegylated interferon-α and ribavirin.

To investigate the relationship between human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I and II alleles and treatment-induced anemia in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients receiving combination therapy with pegylated interferon-α (PEG-IFN-α) and ribavirin (RBV). One hundred six naïve CHC patients (59 females and 47 males; mean age, 53.08 years) who underwent combination treatment were enrolled. The patients were considered positive for hemoglobin (Hb)-related side effects if the Hb concentrations dropped below 10 g/dl during PEG-IFN-α plus RBV treatment. The HLA-A, -B, -C, -DR, and -DQ loci were investigated by sequence-based genotyping. The effects of the clinical characteristics, virologic variables, and the HLA alleles on treatment-induced anemia were evaluated by a logistic regression analysis. Forty patients (37.7%) had Hb levels below 10 g/dl during the treatment course. Low baseline Hb levels and an advanced liver fibrosis stage were associated with decreases in Hb levels to below 10 g/dl. The occurrence of treatment-related anemia (Hb < 10 g/dl) was significantly associated with HLA-B*15:02 as shown by multivariate analysis (adjusted odds ratio, 8.13; 95% confidence interval: 1.19-55.70; P-value after Holm's procedure, 0.03). HLA-B*15:02 is associated with treatment-induced anemia in Taiwanese CHC patients receiving combination therapy with PEG-IFN-α plus RBV.