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Published on: June 26, 2014

Does hepatitis C virus infection increase risk for stroke? A population-based cohort study

Chien-Chang Liao1, Ta-Chen Su, Fung-Chang Sung

  • 1Health Policy Research Center, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.

Plos One
|February 25, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Chronic hepatitis C infection is linked to a higher risk of stroke. This finding suggests hepatitis C virus should be recognized as an independent risk factor for stroke.

Area of Science:

  • Hepatology
  • Neurology
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • The association between hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and stroke risk is not consistently established.
  • This study investigates the potential link between chronic HCV infection and the incidence of stroke.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the risk of stroke in individuals with chronic hepatitis C infection.
  • To determine if HCV infection is an independent risk factor for stroke.

Main Methods:

  • A longitudinal, population-based cohort study was conducted using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database.
  • 4,094 adults with newly diagnosed hepatitis C infection (2002-2004) were compared to 16,376 controls without HCV infection, matched for age and sex.
  • Stroke events (ICD-9-CM codes 430-438) from 2002-2008 were identified, and multivariate adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated for various risk factors.

Main Results:

  • During 96,752 person-years of follow-up, 1981 new stroke cases were diagnosed.
  • The cumulative risk of stroke was higher in individuals with HCV infection (2.5%) compared to those without (1.9%, p<0.0001).
  • Hepatitis C infection was associated with an adjusted HR of 1.27 (95% CI 1.14 to 1.41) for stroke, independent of other risk factors like hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease.

Conclusions:

  • Chronic hepatitis C infection is associated with an increased risk of stroke.
  • Hepatitis C virus should be considered a significant and independent risk factor for stroke.
Abstract

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