Alpha Interferon (IFN-α) is an effective treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. A reduced response rate to IFN therapy in African-Americans with chronic hepatitis C is demonstrated in this chapter. At the end of IFN treatment, only 10% African-American people had a biochemical and virological response to the therapy as compared to 53% people in the Caucasian group. Antioxidant compounds—such as vitamins— have been reported to have a protective effect on the course of chronic viral hepatitis, and they may enhance the response to IFN. The factor that may be considered as potentially responsible for the higher mortality and morbidity rates among African-American males is greater serum levels of testosterone as compared to Caucasians. The effect of sex hormones on the course of viral hepatitis is not known, although regardless of race, females do better than males when exposed to viral hepatitis. Studies are needed to identify and establish the role of environmental or genetic factors that might determine this difference in response as compared to Caucasians.
