High-level consumption of coffee (more than 3 cups per day) is an independent predictor of improved virologic response to peginterferon plus ribavirin in patients with hepatitis C, according to a study published online on 10th June, 2011 in the Gastroenterology journal.
Neel D Freedman PhD MPH, from National Cancer Institute, Maryland, USA and colleagues assessed patients for early virologic response (2 log10 reduction in level of hepatitis C virus RNA at week 12; n = 466), and undetectable hepatitis C virus RNA at weeks 20, 48 , and 72. They enrolled 885 patients from the lead-in phase of the Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-Term Treatment Against Cirrhosis Trial recorded coffee intake before retreatment with peginterferon α-2a (180 μg/wk) and ribavirin (1000–1200 mg/day).
Median log10 drop from baseline to week 20 was 2.0 among nondrinkers and 4.0 among patients that drank 3 or more cups/day of coffee (P trend <.0001). After adjustment for age, race/ethnicity, sex, alcohol, cirrhosis, ratio of aspartate aminotransferase to alanine aminotransferase, the IL28B polymorphism rs12979860, dose reduction of peginterferon, and other covariates, odds ratios for drinking 3 or more cups/day vs nondrinking were 2.0 (P trend = .004) for early virologic response, 2.1 (P trend = .005) for week 20 virologic response, 2.4 (P trend = .001) for end of treatment, and 1.8 (P trend = .034) for sustained virologic response.
The authors highlighted that in patients with advanced HCV-related chronic liver disease in the HALT-C trial receiving peginterferon plus ribavirin treatment, 3 or more cups per day coffee drinkers were 3 times more likely to have a virologic response than nondrinkers. In contrast to results for coffee, no effect was observed for tea drinking.
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