IMMUNOGENETIC FACTORS INFLUENCING CLINICAL COURSE OF HCV INFECTION (REVIEW)

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains one of the most important blood-borne diseases worldwide with about 130-170 million people chronically infected with hepatitis C virus, and more than 350 000 people die from hepatitis C-related liver diseases each year. Infection with HCV becomes chronic in approximately 80% of cases, while in up to 20% of cases hepatitis C virus is cleared from the human organism. Chronic infections of hepatitis C often leads to the end-stage liver diseases such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The clinical course and the outcome of the HCV infection is determined by the complex interplay between the viral replication and the host defense mechanisms. Several recent studies have shown that MHC class I and class II as well as natural killer (NK) cell's immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) loci can be associated with the HCV protection and clearance as well as with disease progression and responsiveness to antiviral treatment. Current status of our knowledge about the influence of immunogenetic factors on the clinical course of HCV infection is presented in the paper. Plans to investigate these factors among HCV infected patients enrolled in the HCV Elimination Program (launched in April 2015 in Georgia) are discussed.