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Hepatitis C virus infection and heart diseases: a multicenter study in Japan
A Matsumori1, N Ohashi, K Hasegawa
1Kyoto University, Japan.
Insights
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is linked to heart conditions like hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathy. This study found a higher prevalence of HCV antibodies in patients with these cardiomyopathies compared to blood donors, suggesting HCV as a cause of heart disease.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Virology
Background:
- Idiopathic cardiomyopathies represent a significant clinical challenge.
- The potential role of viral infections, particularly hepatitis C virus (HCV), in the pathogenesis of cardiomyopathies requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and the development of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).
- To determine the prevalence of HCV infection in patients diagnosed with cardiomyopathies in Japan.
Main Methods:
- A collaborative research project involving 19 medical institutions in Japan.
- Questionnaires were distributed to patients with idiopathic cardiomyopathies.
- Hepatitis C virus antibody testing was performed on patient samples.
- Prevalence data were compared with those of volunteer blood donors and patients seeking care in academic hospitals.
Main Results:
- HCV antibodies were detected in 10.6% of HCM patients and 6.3% of DCM patients, significantly higher than the 2.4% in blood donors (p<0.0001).
- The prevalence of HCV antibodies was significantly higher in HCM patients compared to DCM patients (p<0.01).
- Overall, 5.4% of patients seeking care in academic hospitals tested positive for HCV antibodies, with arrhythmias being the most common cardiac abnormality.
Conclusions:
- Hepatitis C virus infection is a significant contributing factor to various unexplained heart diseases, including hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathies.
- These findings underscore the importance of screening for HCV in patients presenting with cardiomyopathies, especially in regions with high HCV prevalence.
Abstract:
As a collaborative research project of the Committees for the Study of Idiopathic Cardiomyopathy, a questionnaire was sent out to 19 medical institutions in Japan in order to examine the possible association between hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and cardiomyopathies. Hepatitis C virus antibody was found in 74 of 697 patients (10.6%) with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (mean age, 57.7 years) and in 42 of 663 patients (6.3%) with dilated cardiomyopathy (mean age, 56.5 years); these prevalences were significantly higher than that found in volunteer blood donors in Japan (2.4%, 50-59 years of age, each p<0.0001). The prevalence was significantly higher in patients suffering from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy as opposed to those with dilated cardiomyopathy (p<0.01). The presence of HCV antibody was detected in 650 of 11,967 patients (5.4%) patients seeking care in 5 academic hospitals. Various cardiac abnormalities were found among these patients, arrhythmias being the most frequent. These observations suggest that HCV infection is an important cause of a variety of otherwise unexplained heart diseases.