Hepatitis C virus infection and increased risk of cerebrovascular disease.
OBJECTIVE
The association between hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and cerebrovascular disease remains controversial. This study aimed to assess the risk of lethal cerebrovascular diseases associated with chronic HCV infection.


METHODS
In this community-based prospective cohort study, 23 665 residents (aged 30 to 65 years) were enrolled in 1991 to 1992. They were personally interviewed using structured questionnaires and provided blood samples for various serological and biochemical tests at study entry. Serum HCV RNA level and HCV genotype were tested for participants seropositive for antibodies against HCV (anti-HCV). Deaths from cerebrovascular disease during follow-up were ascertained by computerized linkage with National Death Certification profiles from 1991 to 2008 (International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision 430 to 438). Multivariate-adjusted hazard ratio with 95% CI was estimated for each risk predictor.


RESULTS
There were 255 cerebrovascular deaths during 382 011 person-years of follow-up. The cumulative risk of cerebrovascular deaths was 1.0% and 2.7% for seronegatives and seropositives of anti-HCV, respectively (P<0.001). The hazard ratio (95% CI) of cerebrovascular death was 2.18 (1.50 to 3.16) for anti-HCV seropositives after adjustment for several conventional risk factors of cerebrovascular disease. Compared with participants seronegative for anti-HCV as the referent, the multivariate-adjusted hazard ratio (95% CI) was 1.40 (0.62 to 3.16), 2.36 (1.42 to 3.93), and 2.82 (1.25 to 6.37), respectively, for anti-HCV-seropositive participants with undetectable, low, and high serum levels of HCV RNA (P<0.001 for trend). However, no significant association was observed between HCV genotype and cerebrovascular death.


CONCLUSIONS
Chronic HCV infection is an independent risk predictor of cerebrovascular deaths showing a biological gradient of cerebrovascular mortality with increasing serum HCV RNA level.
Graduate Institute of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Mei-Hsuan
MH
Lee
Hwai-I
HI
Yang
Chih-Hao
CH
Wang
Chin-Lan
CL
Jen
Shiou-Hwei
SH
Yeh
Chun-Jen
CJ
Liu
San-Lin
SL
You
Wei J
WJ
Chen
Chien-Jen
CJ
Chen
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D012307:Risk Factors
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral