Abstract
Background/AimsSeveral studies analyzed the association between hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and the risk of stroke or cerebrovascular death, but their findings were inconsistent. Up to date, no systematic review about the association between HCV infection and stroke was performed. We conducted a meta-analysis to examine whether HCV infection dose increase stroke risk in comparison to the population without HCV infection.MethodsWe followed standard guidelines for performance of meta-analysis. Two independent investigators identified eligible studies through structured keyword searches in several databases. Random-effects and fixed-effects models were used to synthesize the data. Heterogeneity between studies and publication bias were also accessed.ResultsCombining the data from the eligible studies, we calculated the pooled multi-factor adjusted Odds Ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Upon the heterogeneity found between studies, the result was 1.58 (0.86, 2.30) by random-effects model. However, after omitting the study which induced heterogeneity, the pooled OR with 95% CI was 1.97 (1.64, 2.30).ConclusionsThis meta-analysis suggested that HCV infection increased the risk of stroke. More prospective cohort studies will be needed to confirm this association with underlying biological mechanisms in the future.
Highlights
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has infected more than 170 million people worldwide [1]
Several epidemiological studies have demonstrated that chronic HCV infection is an independent risk factor of stroke or cerebrovascular death [10,11,12,13,14,15]
All published epidemiologic studies providing an estimate of risk of stroke among HCV infected people compared to normal population or an estimate of risk of HCV infection among people with stroke compared to without stroke were considered in this meta-analysis
Summary
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has infected more than 170 million people worldwide (approximately 3% of the world’s population) [1]. Stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide [6,7,8]. It is becoming a great health burden in most industrialized countries in future decades. Several epidemiological studies have demonstrated that chronic HCV infection is an independent risk factor of stroke or cerebrovascular death [10,11,12,13,14,15]. In addition to providing a greater understanding about the association between HCV infection and stroke, the finding of the meta-analysis might give suggestion for future research and help inform clinical practice guidelines
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