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High coffee intake associated with better HCV treatment response
Freedman ND. Gastroenterology. 2011;140:1961-1969.
Drinking three or more cups of coffee per day was associated with an improved virologic response to peginterferon/ribavirin treatment in patients with hepatitis C virus infection, according to findings from the Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-Term Treatment against Cirrhosis Trial.
Because the association between coffee consumption and the effect on hepatitis C infection has not previously been examined, Neal D. Freedman, PhD, of the National Cancer Institute and the NIH, and colleagues set out to assess the association between coffee intake and virologic response to peginterferon plus ribavirin treatment in patients with baseline fibrosis or cirrhosis who failed previous interferon therapy.
Patients (n=885) were asked to record their coffee intake before re-treatment with 180 mcg/week peginterferon and 1,000 mg to 1,200 mg daily ribavirin. Patients were also assessed for decreases in undetectable HCV RNA at 20, 48 and 72 weeks.
Those who consumed three or more cups of coffee per day were twofold more likely to respond to treatment with a –4 log10 decrease from baseline to week 20 (interquartile range [IQR], 2.1-4.7) vs. –2 log10 decrease (IQR, 0.6-3.9) among non-coffee drinkers.
Moreover, those who consumed coffee were more likely to achieve a virologic response based upon the primary outcome measures: 72.7% had an early virologic response; 52.3% had no detectable serum HCV RNA at week 20; 49.2% had no detectable serum at week 48; and 25.8% had a sustained virologic response vs. 45.7%, 26.3%, 21.8% and 11.3% among non-coffee drinkers, respectively.
Compared with 60.6% of those who consumed three or more cups of coffee per day, only 50.4% of nondrinkers tolerated full-dose peginterferon (P=.0015).
“These results should be considered preliminary until replicated in other studies and in other populations, including those with less advanced disease, those who had not received prior therapy, or those who are being treated with newer antiviral agents. In addition, further research is needed to understand the underlying mechanism for this observation,” Freedman told Infectious Disease News. – by Ashley DeNyse
Disclosure: Dr. Freedman reports no relevant financial disclosures.
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