The association between hypertension and viral hepatitis disease: a pilot study

The association between hypertension and viral hepatitis disease: a pilot study

Hypertension, is an important risk factor for many non-infectious diseases. Very few studies have investigated the association between hypertension and infectious disease. In this study, we performed a prospective cohort analysis to explore the association between hypertension and viral hepatitis disease. The data were from the Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database (TNHIRD), which is a source database of the national health care system of Taiwan. The ICD-9-CM diagnostic codes were used to define cases of hypertension from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2005. Cases of hepatitis A virus (HAV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) disease were identified from 2007- 2009. In regard to viral hepatitis disease, the association of hypertension and HAV or HCV disease was statistically significant by adjusting diabetes mellitus or obesity. The results indicated that HAV or HCV infection was significantly associated with hypertension, but not with HBV. Although the biologic mechanisms underlying the association of hypertension-HCV are unclear, the association discovered in this study may facilitate the management in hypertension and HCV.