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Published on: February 3, 2012

Carotid atherosclerosis and chronic hepatitis C: a prospective study of risk associations

Salvatore Petta1, Daniele Torres, Giovanni Fazio

  • 1Sezione di Gastroenterologia, Di.Bi.M.I.S, Università di Palermo, Italia. petsa@inwind.it

Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.)
|December 3, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Hepatitis C patients with genotype 1 (G1 CHC) show higher rates of carotid atherosclerosis. Severe liver fibrosis significantly increases the risk of early atherosclerosis in these patients.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Hepatology
  • Vascular Biology

Background:

  • Cardiovascular risk in genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C (G1 CHC) patients presents conflicting data.
  • Evaluating carotid atherosclerosis prevalence and its association with host, viral, and liver factors is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the prevalence of carotid atherosclerosis in G1 CHC patients compared to a control group.
  • To investigate the association between atherosclerosis, host/viral factors, and liver histology in G1 CHC.

Main Methods:

  • 174 biopsy-proven G1 CHC patients and 174 controls underwent ultrasonography for carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and plaque assessment.
  • Liver biopsies were scored for staging, grading, and steatosis.
  • Multivariate logistic regression analyzed associations with carotid plaques.

Main Results:

  • G1 CHC patients exhibited significantly higher prevalence of carotid plaques (41.9% vs 22.9%) and greater IMT (1.04 vs 0.90) compared to controls.
  • Severe hepatic fibrosis (F3-F4) and older age were independently associated with carotid plaques.
  • In younger G1 CHC patients (≤55 years), severe fibrosis was linked to higher plaque prevalence (52.3% vs 22.3%).

Conclusions:

  • Severe hepatic fibrosis is a significant risk factor for early carotid atherosclerosis in G1 CHC patients.
  • The association between fibrosis and atherosclerosis is more pronounced in younger patients.
Abstract

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