Can we prevent and modify cardiometabolic disorders by controlling HCV infection?

What is known about HCV comorbidities and viral clearance?

HCV infection has an estimated global prevalence of 1.0%, corresponding to roughly 71.1 million of infected individuals in 2015, with major geographical heterogeneity.1 Due to the large burden of infected individuals in the general population, the likelihood of co-occurrence of chronic HCV infection and common comorbidities is substantial regardless of causal linkages. Population-based studies show a higher overall mortality, both for liver-related and unrelated causes in HCV infected subjects compared with those uninfected, and cross-sectional and cohort studies identify HCV as an independent risk factor for extrahepatic manifestations.2 These issues are summarised in two meta-analyses reporting that HCV-infected patients are at higher risk of mixed cryoglobulinaemia, lymphoma, lichen planus, Sjögren's syndrome, porphyria cutanea tarda, rheumatoid-like arthritis, depression, chronic kidney or end-stage renal disease, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disorders/mortality.3 4 While the...

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