PNPLA3 rs738409 G allele carriers with genotype 1b HCV cirrhosis have lower viral load but develop liver failure at younger age.

Abstract

BackgroundPNPLA3 rs738409 minor allele c.444G represents a risk factor for liver steatosis and fibrosis progression also in chronic hepatitis C (HCV). We investigated its impact on the timing of liver transplantation (LT) in patients with genotype 1b HCV cirrhosis.MethodsWe genotyped and evaluated 172 LT candidates with liver cirrhosis owing to chronic HCV infection, genotype 1b. One hundred patients needed LT for chronic liver failure (CLF) and 72 for a small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the cirrhotic liver without CLF. Population controls (n = 647) were selected from the Czech cross-sectional study MONICA.ResultsThe CLF patients were younger (53.5 ± 7.2 vs. 59.6 ± 6.6, P ConclusionsOur results suggest that PNPLA3 rs738409 G allele carriage may be associated with a faster progression of HCV cirrhosis to chronic liver failure.