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Updated: Apr 6, 2026
A Protocol for Analyzing Hepatitis C Virus Replication
Published on: June 26, 2014
Hepatitis C Virus Infection Increases the Risk of Developing Chronic Kidney Disease: A Systematic Review and
Fabrizio Fabrizi1,2, Simona Verdesca3, Piergiorgio Messa3
1Division of Nephrology, Maggiore Hospital, IRCCS Foundation, Pad. Croff, via Commenda 15, 20122, Milan, Italy. fabrizi@policlinico.mi.it.
Insights
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is linked to a higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease in adults. This systematic review confirms HCV as an independent risk factor for kidney disease incidence and proteinuria.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Hepatology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are global health concerns.
- The relationship between HCV and kidney disease development remains controversial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and assess the independent impact of HCV infection on the development of CKD in the general adult population.
- To quantify the risk of CKD associated with positive HCV serologic status.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of published medical literature.
- Random-effects model used to estimate the relative risk of CKD (defined by reduced GFR or proteinuria) with HCV.
- Meta-regression and stratified analyses were conducted.
Main Results:
- Twenty-three studies with over 2.8 million patients were included.
- Longitudinal studies (n=9) showed HCV infection is associated with increased CKD incidence (adjusted HR 1.43, 95% CI 1.23-1.63).
- HCV was an independent risk factor for proteinuria (adjusted OR 1.508, 95% CI 1.19-1.89).
Conclusions:
- HCV infection is associated with an increased risk of developing chronic kidney disease.
- HCV is an independent risk factor for both CKD incidence and proteinuria in the adult population.
Background And Rationale:
Chronic kidney disease and hepatitis C virus are prevalent in the general population worldwide, and controversy exists about the impact of HCV infection on the development and progression of kidney disease.
Design:
A systematic review of the published medical literature was made to assess whether positive anti-HCV serologic status plays an independent impact on the development of chronic kidney disease in the adult general population. We used a random-effects model to generate a summary estimate of the relative risk of chronic kidney disease (defined by reduced glomerular filtration rate or detectable proteinuria) with HCV across the published studies. Meta-regression and stratified analysis were also conducted.
Results:
Twenty-three studies (n = 2,842,421 patients) were eligible, and separate meta-analyses were performed according to the outcome. Pooling results of longitudinal studies (n = 9; 1,947,034 unique patients) demonstrated a relationship between positive HCV serologic status and increased incidence of chronic kidney disease, the summary estimate for adjusted hazard ratio was 1.43 (95% confidence interval 1.23; 1.63, P = 0.0001), and between-studies heterogeneity was noted (P value by Q test <0.0001). The risk of the incidence of chronic kidney disease associated with HCV, in the subset of Asian surveys, was 1.31 (95% confidence interval 1.16; 1.45) without heterogeneity (P value by Q test = 0.6). HCV positive serology was an independent risk factor for proteinuria; adjusted odds ratio, 1.508 (95% confidence intervals 1.19; 1.89, P = 0.0001) (n = 6 studies; 107,356 unique patients).
Conclusions:
HCV infection is associated with an increased risk of developing chronic kidney disease in the adult general population.
