Hepatic steatosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 2 or 3 does not affect viral response in patients treated with peginterferon α-2a (40KD) (PEGASYS®) plus ribavirin (COPEGUS®) for 16 or 24 weeks

Background: Hepatic steatosis is common in patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). The effect of steatosis on anti-HCV therapy efficacy is unclear. Methods: We studied host and viral factors associated with steatosis and the effect of steatosis on treatment efficacy using the database of a large prospective trial in patients with HCV genotypes 2 and 3. Results: Out of 885 patients assessed for steatosis, a total of 614 patients or 69% had steatosis. Patients with genotype 3 were more likely to have steatosis than those with genotype 2 (79 vs. 59%, P