People with hepatitis C virus (HCV) are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Researchers analyzed patient data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample to determine how hep C status affected the likelihood of CVD. They presented their findings at the 50th International Liver Congress in Vienna, Austria.

A total of 201,950 people in the sample had experienced acute myocardial infarction (AMI), 201,950 had coronary artery disease (CAD) and 1,454,012 had congestive heart failure (CHF). The hep C prevalence of the overall sample was 1.9 percent.

After adjusting for various factors, the researchers found that having hep C increased the odds of AMI 2.29-fold, of CAD 1.88-fold and of CHF 1.08-fold.

The cost for inpatient treatment and the length of a hospital stay for HCV-positive people with CVD were consistently and significantly higher than these costs for HCV-negative people with CVD.

To read a press release about the study, click here.