TY - JOUR PY - 2008// TI - Cause of death in individuals with chronic HBV and/or HCV infection, a nationwide community‐based register study JO - Journal of viral hepatitis A1 - Duberg, Ann‐Sofi A1 - Törner, Anna A1 - Daviðsdóttir, Lóa A1 - Aleman, Soo A1 - Blaxhult, Anders A1 - Svensson, Åke A1 - Hultcrantz, Rolf A1 - Bäck, Erik A1 - Ekdahl, Karl SP - 538 EP - 550 VL - 15 IS - 7 N2 - Summary.  Studies on chronic viral hepatitis and mortality have often been made on selected populations or in high-endemic countries. The aim of this study was to investigate the causes of death and the mortality rates in the nationwide cohorts of people chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and/or hepatitis C virus (HCV) in Sweden, a low-endemic country. All notifications on chronic HBV infection and HCV infection 1990–2003 were linked to the Cause of Death Register. A total of 9517 people with chronic HBV infection, 34 235 people with HCV infection and 1601 with chronic HBV–HCV co-infection were included, and the mean observation times were 6.4, 6.3 and 7.9 years, respectively. The mortality in the cohorts was compared with age- and gender-specific mortality in the general population and standardized mortality ratios (SMR) were calculated. All-cause mortality was significantly increased, SMR 2.3 (HBV), 5.8 (HCV) and 8.5 (HBV–HCV), with a great excess liver-related mortality in all cohorts, SMR 21.7, 35.5 and 46.2, respectively. In HCV and HBV–HCV infected there was an increased mortality due to drug-related psychiatric diagnoses (SMR: 20.7 and 27.6) and external causes (SMR: 12.4 and 11.4), predominantly at younger age. To conclude, this study demonstrated an increased all-cause mortality, with a great excess mortality from liver disease, in all cohorts. In people with HCV infection the highest excess mortality in younger ages was from drug-related and external reasons.

LA - SN - 1352-0504 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2893.2008.00982.x ID - ref1 ER -