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Review
. 2020 Aug 15;10(3):201-206.
eCollection 2020.

The impact of infection with hepatitis C virus on cardiovascular risk

Roua A Iorga  1 , Nicolae Bacalbasa  2   3 , Ovidiu G Bratu  2   4   5 , Florentina Ionita Radu  6 , Camelia C Diaconu  1   2
Affiliations
Review

The impact of infection with hepatitis C virus on cardiovascular risk

Roua A Iorga et al. Am J Cardiovasc Dis. .

Abstract

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection represents a systemic disease, with a natural progression to hepatic steatosis, fibrosis, and finally, cirrhosis, with an increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. Besides the hepatic alterations, the systemic manifestations of chronic HCV infection, such as endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis, oxidative stress, insulin resistance, immunological alterations, are nowadays recognized as cardiovascular risk factors. Hepatitis C is associated with insulin resistance and increased risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus, carotid atherosclerosis and stroke, coronary artery disease and chronic heart failure, with a significant impact on the mortality and morbidity. This article represents an overview of the most prevalent and important systemic alterations of chronic HCV infection, with emphasis on their cardiovascular and metabolic effects due to a treatable disease.

Keywords: Hepatitis C virus; cardiovascular risk; diabetes mellitus; insulin resistance; metabolic syndrome.

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Conflict of interest statement

None.

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