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Associations of chronic hepatitis C with metabolic and cardiac outcomes

Z M Younossi1, M Stepanova, F Nader

  • 1Center for Liver Diseases, Department of Medicine, Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, VA, USA. zobair.younossi@inova.org

Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics
|February 7, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Chronic hepatitis C virus infection is linked to higher risks of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension. This condition is also independently associated with congestive heart failure.

Area of Science:

  • Hepatology
  • Cardiology
  • Metabolic Diseases

Background:

  • Chronic hepatitis C virus (CH-C) infection is recognized as a risk factor for metabolic disturbances like insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
  • CH-C may also contribute to an increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between CH-C infection and cardiovascular disease risk factors.
  • Utilizing data from the US population to assess these associations.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) spanning 1999-2010.
  • Inclusion of 19,741 eligible participants, with 173 identified as having CH-C.

Main Results:

  • CH-C patients exhibited higher rates of insulin resistance (44.1%), hypertension (40.1%), and a history of smoking (76.2%) compared to controls.
  • Multivariate analysis confirmed CH-C as an independent risk factor for insulin resistance (OR=2.06), type 2 diabetes (OR=2.31), and hypertension (OR=2.06).
  • CH-C was independently associated with congestive heart failure, but not with ischemic heart disease or stroke.

Conclusions:

  • Chronic hepatitis C virus infection is independently associated with key metabolic conditions, including insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and hypertension.
  • The study also found an independent association between CH-C and congestive heart failure.
Abstract

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