Cardiovascular manifestations of hepatitis C virus infection

Abstract

Introduction: Hepatitis C virus infection is a major global health problem being the second most common chronic virus infection. It is associated with numerous extra hepatic manifestations of which cardiovascular diseases constitute an important but under diagnosed aspect of the infection. Aim: This study was carried out to evaluate the association between cardiovascular manifestation and HCV seropositivity patients attending Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Imphal, Manipur. Materials and Methods: From august 2009 to july 2011, 50 HCV seropositive patients in the department of Medicine, Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal were evaluated. They were subjected to thorough physical examination and baseline laboratory investigations. Above that, echocardiogram was done for each patient. For statistical analysis of data, statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS16.0 version) and student's t-test was used. Results: In this study, the average age of patients was 44 years, ratio of males to females was 3.5: 1. HCV infection is more common in males who are in the sexually active and married age group 30 to 49 years. In the laboratory parameters high serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) and high erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were significant indicators of cardiac chamber (left atrial and left ventricular) enlargement and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in HCV seropositive patients. Conclusion: The result corroborated favorably that the more progressed is the inflammation and liver dysfunction due to HCV infection, the more likely to have cardiovascular changes of cardiac chamber enlargement and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction.