Comparison of cardiovascular outcomes and all-cause mortality in patients with chronic hepatitis B and C: A 13-year nationwide population-based study in Asia

Abstract Background and aims Viral hepatitis infection has been linked to increased atherosclerosis. We therefore investigated cardiovascular outcomes in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Methods Electronic medical records during 2000–2012 were retrieved from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. Exclusion criteria were age Results 41,554 patients with diagnosis of HBV or HCV were retrieved from 2000 to 2012. After exclusion criteria, 31,943 patients were eligible for analysis and propensity score matched. The study population consisted of 6030 patients with HBV infection and 6030 patients with HCV infection. Risk of composite arterial events (acute coronary syndrome, peripheral artery disease, and acute ischemic stroke) was significantly higher in patients with HCV infection compared with patients with HBV infection ( p  = 0.012 at 5-year follow-up and p  = 0.003 at the end of follow-up). All-cause mortality was significantly higher in patients with HCV infection compared with patients with HBV infection ( p Conclusions In patients with chronic viral hepatitis, subjects with HCV infection had a significantly higher risk of composite arterial events and all-cause mortality compared with those with HBV infection.