Hepatitis Viral Infection and Carotid Intima-Media Thickness

J Korean Neurol Assoc > Volume 24(6); 2006 > Article

Journal of the Korean Neurological Association 2006;24(6): 544-549.

간염 바이러스 감염과 경동맥 내막중막두께

정슬기, 서만욱 김영현 김영곤a 김달식b 신용주c

전북대학교 의과대학 신경과학교실, 진단방사선과학교실a, 진단검사의학교실b, 가톨릭대학교 의과대학 내과학교실

Hepatitis Viral Infection and Carotid Intima-Media Thickness

Seul-Ki Jeong

Departments of Neurology, Radiologya, Laboratory Medicineb, Chonbuk National University Medical School Jeonju; Department of Internal Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicinec, Seoul, Korea

Abstract

Background: Carotid atherosclerosis has been known to be associated with systemic inflammatory status. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between hepatitis viral infection or vaccination and carotid atherosclerosis in a relatively healthy population.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in 281 subjects (mean age±SD, y; 43.8±7.2) in the Chonbuk national university hospital. All the participants were examined for the carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in both common carotid, carotid bulb, and internal carotid arteries. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and IgG antibodies against hepatitis B and C virus (anti-HBs and anti-HCV) were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assays.
Results: Twelve subjects (4.3%) were HBsAg seropositive and 6 (2.1%) were anti-HCV positive but the positivity did not affect the mean carotid IMT. However, the hepatitis B-exposure group including both the HBsAg positive and anti-HBs positive without vaccination history showed a significantly higher carotid IMT (mean±SD, mm; 0.757±0.107 vs. 0.728±0.105, P=0.031), even after adjusting for the potential confounders. And, in the subgroup having anti-HBs, the carotid IMT was lower in the hepatitis B vaccinated subjects than in the others (0.725±0.103 vs. 0.760±0.111, P=0.019).
Conclusions: Subjects exposed to the hepatitis B pathogen, even though they had anti-HBs, showed the higher carotid IMT, and the participants with a vaccination history demonstrated the lower IMT values. Subsequent study in a large representative population might be needed to further delineate the characteristic associations.KeyWords:Hepatitis, Intima-media thickness, Vaccination, Population.