Pre-DAA IL-1β can predict HBV reactivation in HCV

Among hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients with resolved hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections, levels of interleukin (IL)-1β before the initiation of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatment may help predict HBV reactivation, reports a recent study.

The study included 11 HCV patients with previous HBV infection who experienced HBV reactivation during DAA treatment. In parallel, 35 patients with previous HBV infection but without reactivation, as well as 19 patients with HBV resolution, were also enrolled. Serum cytokine levels were measured using the Human Inflammation Antibody Array 1.

Multivariate logistic regression analysis found that IL-1β levels before DAA initiation were strongly and significantly associated with HBV reactivation during treatment, increasing such odds by nearly 50 times (odds ratio [OR], 47.6, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 6.94–333.3; p=0.001). This interaction remained true even after adjustments for factors that were significant in univariate analysis.

Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis found that at an optimal cutoff value of 0.18 pg/mL, serum IL-1β yielded an area under the curve of 0.913 for predicting reactivation during DAA treatment. Respective sensitivity and specificity estimates were 0.914 and 0.819.

Of note, there were no HCV-infected patients harbouring the single nucleotide polymorphism rs16944 AA allele that saw HBV reactivation; IL-1β levels were elevated in these patients.

“It is unclear why the serum IL-1β level was elevated only in HCV-infected patients with resolved HBV infection and the IL-1β rs16944 SNP AA allele, but not in HCV-infected patients without resolved HBV infection and the IL-1β rs16944 SNP AA allele,” the researchers said. “One explanation is the small number of included patients, thus further analysis is required.”