Introduction
Cardiovascular diseases are ranked as the third cause of mortality among people infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), but the relationship of infection with cardiovascular risk remains disputable. We have focused on the comprehensive use of parameters obtainable during long-term electrocardiographic (ECG) Holter monitoring.

Material and methods
Heart rate variability and turbulence (HRV and HRT), deceleration/acceleration capacity (DC/AC), corrected QT interval (QTc) and late potential (LP) were used. 36 persons were included, and 30 healthy subjects formed a control group. All were submitted to 24-hour Holter ECG-moni­toring.

Results
The studied groups were not statistically significantly different with regards to basic anthropometric parameters. Statistically significantly higher medium and maximum heart rhythm and aminotransferase activities were recorded in patients with hepatitis C. The HRV parameters r-MSSD, p50NN, HF, and absolute DC/AC values were significantly lower in the subjects with hepatitis C than those in the control group. The QTc interval, measured for nocturnal hours, was also significantly longer in that group. There were no differences in the albumin level or basic echocardiographic parameters, including left ventricle ejection fraction. Nor was there any difference in the HRT parameters, or LP. The most interesting observation was the positive correlation among the number of viral RNA copies and DC, and LF.

Conclusions
We confirmed the presence of autonomic disorders with preva­lence of sympathetic system activity and prolonged QTc interval in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Those parameters significantly correlated with infection intensity. Our results suggest that HCV infection could be an independent cardiovascular risk factor, not associated with the lipid profile. Further prospective studies are needed.



中文翻译：

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通过心电图动态心电图监测慢性丙型肝炎患者的心血管风险评估。

简介
心血管疾病被列为丙型肝炎病毒 (HCV) 感染者的第三大死亡原因，但感染与心血管风险的关系仍存在争议。我们专注于综合使用长期心电图 (ECG) 动态心电图监测期间可获得的参数。

材料和方法 使用
心率变异性和湍流（HRV 和 HRT）、减速/加速能力（DC/AC）、校正的 QT 间期（QTc）和晚期电位（LP）。纳入36人，30名健康人为对照组。所有人都接受了 24 小时动态心电图监测。

结果
研究组在基本人体测量参数方面没有统计学上的显着差异。丙型肝炎患者的中、最大心律和转氨酶活性在统计学上显着升高。丙型肝炎患者的 HRV 参数 r-MSSD、p50NN、HF 和绝对 DC/AC 值显着低于对照组团体。以夜间时间测量的 QTc 间期在该组中也显着延长。白蛋白水平或基本超声心动图参数（包括左心室射血分数）没有差异。HRT 参数或 LP 也没有任何差异。最有趣的观察是病毒 RNA 拷贝数与 DC 和 LF 之间的正相关。

结论
我们证实慢性丙型肝炎患者存在自主神经紊乱，交感神经系统活动普遍，QTc 间期延长。这些参数与感染强度显着相关。我们的研究结果表明，HCV 感染可能是一个独立的心血管危险因素，与血脂谱无关。需要进一步的前瞻性研究。