Saturday Nov 22, 2013 (foodconsumer.org) -- A new review in PLoS One suggests that hepatitis C virus infection, often a chronic infection that can lead to liver cancer, may increase the risk of stroke, a major killer in developed countries.

He Huang from Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College in Beijing, China and colleagues found the association after a meta-analysis of data from previous studies on hepatitis C virus infection and the risk of stroke or cerebrovascular death.

Hepatitis C viral infection was found associated with 58% increased risk for stroke.  The increase in the risk could be as high as 97% when data from studies without heterogeneity was used for the analysis.

It has been known for some time that viral infection is linked to stroke, particularly ischemic stroke.  In the journal Stroke, a review by Perttu J. Lindsberg, MD, PhD; Armin J. Grau, MD, PhD from Biomedicum Helsinki in Finland suggests some chronic infections can increase risk of stroke.

Some basics about hepatitis C

In the United States, each year close to 20,000 people get infected with hepatitis C and an estimated 3 million Americans now live with this infection, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 75 to 85% cases of hepatic C become chronic.

Hepatic C is hard to treat.  Blood transfusion, organ transplants, shared needles, and contaminated medical equipment, needlestick injuries in health care settings, high risk sex with infected partners and infected pregnant women are the likely sources of infection.  Hepatitis C can spread within a household.

About 70 to 80% of people with acute hepatitis C do not experience any symptoms.  When symptoms do show up, they can be fever, fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, joint pain, jaudice, and Clay-colored bowel movements. 

Alternative medicines or supplements that may help

There is no vaccine available to prevent hepatitis C.  What may help hepatitis C include grapefruit compound naringerin, vitamin A sufficiency, zinc supplements, and coffee drinking.  Some supplements including 200 mg of lipoic acid three times a day and 200 to 600 mcg of selenium mcg per day may help protect the liver, some soruces suggest.  Silmaryin and other herbal supplements may also help the liver. (David Liu, PHD)