title: Effect of hepatitis C virus infection on the left ventricular systolic and diastolic functions.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hepatitis secondary to infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the most common causes of viral hepatitis worldwide. Multiple extrahepatic manifestations of HCV infection have been recognized. Dilated and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy associated with HCV infection have been recently described in the literature; however, the effect of HCV infection on the left ventricular systolic and diastolic functions is unknown. Therefore, in this study we aimed to examine left ventricular systolic and diastolic functions in HCV patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study included 50 anti-HCV positive patients and 50 persons for control groups. We performed transthorasic echocardiography and P-wave analysis on all participants. We compared left ventricle diastolic parameters, left ventricle ejection fraction, and P-wave dispersion (Pd) between these two groups. In the group with anti-HCV positivity, the ratio of E/A was found to be lower (1.2 ± 0.7 and 1.37 ± 0.6, P = 0.003); the ratio of E/Em was found to be higher (7.6 ± 1.51 and 6.8 ± 1.72, P = 0.0001). Maximum P-wave duration (Pmax) and Pd were higher in the patient group (99.3 ± 8 and 82.4 ± 7.8, P = 0.004; 44.1 ± 0.9 and 25.3 ± 1.5, P = 0.001). No other statistically significant difference was found between the two groups with regard to the left ventricle systolic and diastolic parameters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings show that HCV infection may be associated with left ventricular systolic and diastolic dysfunction and cardiac arrhythmias.
authors: Department of Cardiology, Bursa Yüksek İhtisas Education and Research Hospital, Bursa, Turkey. drmehmetdemir@hotmail.com
authors: Mehmet
authors: M
authors: Demir
authors: Canan
authors: C
authors: Demir
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000821:virology; D003971:Diastole / Q000502:physiology; D004452:Echocardiography; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000503:physiopathology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013599:Systole / Q000502:physiology; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000821:virology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies