C-40 | Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Patients With Hepatitis C: A Nationwide Retrospective Cohort Study

Hepatitis C (HCV) is a viral infection responsible for chronic inflammation resulting in fibrosis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Several studies describe an association between HCV and cardiovascular (CV) disease/risk factors including an increased risk of diabetes mellitus, accelerated atherosclerosis, and coronary/carotid artery disease. Nevertheless, data is limited, so our aim is to further study this association. Utilizing the Nationwide Inpatient Sample Database from 2016-2019, we studied patients with a diagnosis of HCV and queried CV disease risk factors to study the prevalence in this population. There were 18,665 patients with HCV, 67% of whom were white. Obesity increased with increasing age in White patients, was inversely correlated with age in Black populations, and peaked midlife for Hispanic and Asian populations. Rates of dyslipidemia, CAD, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation generally increased with age across all populations. Smoking was highest in the youngest cohort across all races with highest rates in whites 18-44 (77%). CV disease and risk factors are prevalent in patients with HCV. Efforts in screening and risk factor modification should be further studied in this particular population. Particular effort should be made to screen younger adults with HCV for smoking and counseling should be provided on smoking cessation.