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Chronic hepatitis C (HCV) infection is associated with diabetes and favorable lipids.
Dr Aya Mostafa and colleagues from Egypt studied the effect of this paradox on atherosclerosis and cardiometabolic response to Hepatitis C clearance.
The research team identified 329 chronically infected patients.
There were 173 with cleared infection and 795 never infected participants aged 35 years or over attended for baseline investigations.
A subsample of 192, 115 and 187, respectively, underwent ultrasound.
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| Those with chronic infection had raised intima-media thickness |
| Gut |
The team's main outcome measures included diabetes, fasting glucose, lipids and fat deposition on ultrasound.
Carotid intima-media thickness measured atherosclerosis.
Diabetes prevalence was raised in those never infected.
Mesenteric fat was raised in chronic, and cleared infection vs never infected.
The team observed that LDL cholesterol was lower in chronic, but similar in cleared versus never infected.
The researchers found that carotid intima-media thickness did not differ by infection status.
Adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors increased intima-media thickness in chronic infection versus never infected individuals.
Dr Mostafa's team commented, "Hepatic function normalization with Hepatitis C clearance may account for reversal of favorable lipids observed with Hepatitis C infection."
"Hyperglycemia and visceral adiposity appear less amenable to Hepatitis C resolution."
"These different cardiovascular risk patterns may determine equivalent atherosclerosis risk by infection status."
"However, once these factors were accounted for, those with chronic infection had raised intima-media thickness, suggesting a direct effect of infection."
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