To investigate inosine triphosphate pyrophosphatase (ITPA) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in patients with hepatitis C in Guangzhou and the correlation of ribavirin-related anemia during 48 weeks antiviral therapy.

The blood sample of hepatitis C patients treated with polyethylene glycol interferon (PegIFN) and ribavirin (RBV) were collected to detect SNP of ITPA rs1127354, rs7270101 and rs6051702 on chromosome 20 by direct sequencing method, and the data of hemoglobin (Hb) at 4, 12, 24, 36 and 48 weeks during treatment were collected and analyzed by independent-samples t test, χ² test, repeated measures and multivariate ANOVA.

Total of 85 patients with hepatitis C were enrolled, including 78 patients with hepatitis C who finished the 48 weeks treatment. Among the 85 patients with hepatitis C, genotyping of ITPA rs1127354 showed that 3 patients (3.5%) were homozygous for AA, 21 patients (24.7%) were heterozygous for AC, 61 patients (71.8%) were homozygous for CC. All the 85 patients were homozygous for AA in ITPA rs7270101. Two patients (2.3%) in rs6051702 on chromosome 20 were homozygous for CC, 22 patients (25.9%) were heterozygous for AC, 61 patients (71.8%) were homozygous for CC. Four patients (16.7%) in rs1127354 AA and AC needed to reduce the dose of ribavirin during the treatmet, however, the chance of reducing the dose of ribavirin was much higher in rs1127354 CC genotype (χ² = 5.571, P = 0.018), and rs6051702 genotypes were not significantly related to dose reduction of ribavirin (χ² = 1.789, P = 0.182). Anemia in rs1127354 CC genotype was more frequent than AA and AC genotypes at 4, 12 and 24 weeks during treatment (P all < 0.05).

ITPA rs7270101 SNP doesn’t among hepatitis C patients in Guangzhou. The rs1127354 AC/AA genotypes were protective factor for ribavirin related anemia.