Association of Hepatitis B and C Virus with the Risk of Coronary Artery Disease and Cerebrovascular Disease in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma accounts for approximately 90% of primary liver cancers and hepatitis virus was believed to have the potential for altering the pathogenesis of arteriosclerosis. However, the influence of the hepatitis virus on coronary artery disease or cerebral vascular disease remains unclear. This study used the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database to clarify the virus-associated risk of coronary artery disease and cerebral vascular disease in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: A total of 188,039 HCC individuals, age 20 years or older, were enrolled from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database between 2000 and 2017 for cohort analysis. A total of 109,348 with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, 37,506 with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, 34,110 without HBV or HCV, and 7075 with both HBV and HCV were recorded. Statistically, propensity score matched by sex, age, and index year at a ratio of 15:5:5:1 and a sensitivity test using multivariable Cox regression were used. Results: The risk of coronary artery disease in the HCV-related HCC group was 1.516-fold (95% CI: 1.328–2.034, p < 0.001) higher than in the HBV-related HCC group, followed by the HBV/HCV-related HCC group and the non-B/C HCC group; the cerebral vascular disease risk in the HCV-related HCC group was 1.467-fold higher than in the HBV-related HCC group (95% CI: 1.335 to 1.786, p < 0.001), followed by the HBV/HCV-related HCC group and the non-B/C HCC group. Conclusion: Hepatitis C virus infection was found to have a higher risk of developing coronary artery disease or cerebral vascular disease in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. For patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, our findings warrant the importance in preventing artherosclerotic disease in the setting of hepatitis C virus infection.