Effect of Unhealthy Behaviors on Mortality in Chronic HCV Infection

Smoking, alcohol use, illicit drug use, poor diet, and physical inactivity accounted for at least half of excess mortality risk in hepatitis C virus–infected patients.

Risky health behaviors among hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients may attenuate a mortality reduction benefit from HCV eradication.

In the current epidemiologic study, using nationally representative U.S. survey data, researchers calculated the prevalence of the five major health risk behaviors of smoking, alcohol use, illicit drug use, unhealthy diet, and physical inactivity. They then assessed the contribution of these five behaviors to all-cause mortality in HCV-infected participants compared with uninfected participants.

Among nearly 28,000 study participants, 363 were HCV infected. Risk behaviors were more prevalent among HCV-infected versus uninfected patients; excess alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking were each 2.3 times more preval…

Reviewing Author

Atif Zaman, MD, MPH

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Atif Zaman, MD, MPH

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Effect of Unhealthy Behaviors on Mortality in Chronic HCV Infection

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Reviewing Author