Endemic hepatitis B and C virus areas are associated with lower prevalence of hyperlipidemia: Ecological and cross‐sectional studies

Abstract

SummaryBackgroundsPatients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection have been documented to have lower levels of cholesterol and triglyceride. This study attempts to validate this correlation from ecological and cross‐sectional research in community.MethodsA total of 56,336 subjects in 533 villages of Tainan County underwent health screening in 2004. The antibody to HCV (anti‐HCV), Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), total cholesterol and triglyceride levels were checked. We used village as a unit to analyze the correlations between prevalence of HBsAg or anti‐HCV and hypercholesterolemia or hypertriglyceridemia. Statistical analyses were simple linear regression and Student t test.ResultsMean serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels were both significantly lower in subjects with HBV and HCV infection (all p < 0.001). Village‐specific prevalence rates of hypercholesterolemia (r = – 0.15) and hypertriglyceridemia (r = – 0.21) were negative correlated with prevalence of HBsAg significantly (all p < 0.001). Village‐specific prevalence rates of hypercholesterolemia (r = ‐ 0.323) and hypertriglyceridemia (r = ‐ 0.258) were also negative correlated with prevalence of anti‐HCV significantly (all p < 0.001).ConclusionsIn this community‐based study, endemic villages of HBV or HCV infection were associated with a lower prevalence of hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia.Copyright © 2017, The Gastroenterological Society of Taiwan, The Digestive Endoscopy Society of Taiwan and Taiwan Association for the Study of the Liver.