Hepatitis B virus infection and the risk of coronary atherosclerosis

ABSTRACT

<p><b>INTRODUCTION</b>Many studies have reported on the association between human coronary artery disease (CAD) and certain persistent bacterial and viral infections. Currently, it is unclear whether hepatitis B virus infection is associated with the risk of the atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible association between hepatitis B virus infection and angiography-proven CAD.</p><p><b>MATERIALS AND METHODS</b>Sera from 5,004 patients who underwent coronary angiography were tested for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) by enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay at Madani Heart Hospital, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Our study population comprised 66% male and 34% female, with an age range of 36 to 86 years. The prevalence of HBsAg positivity tended to be higher in CAD patients than in those without CAD (3.28% versus 2.17%), but the difference was not statistically significant.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Our results suggest that hepatitis B virus infection is not associated with coronary atherosclerosis in this population.</p>