Prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection in patients with COPD

Abstract

Some studies have suggested that chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection may induce an accelerated decline of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1). We performed a cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence of HCV infection in a sample of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients and in a control group of blood donors. The clinical characteristics of HCV-positive and HCV-negative patients were compared. Anti-HCV antibody was determined and confirmed by HCV-RNA. The prevalence of HCV infection in COPD patients was 75% (95% CI 652-848) and in blood donors was 041% (95% CI 040-042). The HCV-positive patients had a lower FEV1 (34.7±8.6%) and a higher BODE index (median=6) than HCV-negative patients (42.7±1.65%, median=4, respectively) (P=0011 and 0027, respectively). Our results suggest a high prevalence of chronic HCV infection in patients with COPD in comparison with the blood donors. HCV-positive patients have a more severe disease. © 2009 Cambridge University Press.