During CHC treatment, patients with SLD had distinct cytokine and growth factor kinetics, with SLD being the main source of variation in several cytokines (IL-5, IL-9, IL-10, IL-13, IL-17A, IL-22) and growth factors (EGF, VEGF and ANG), and it seems this was independent of fibrosis stage. This evidence concerns the gene EGF and fibrosis.