Hepatitis C virus infection and risk of stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background/aims

Several studies analyzed the association between hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and the risk of stroke or cerebrovascular death, but their findings were inconsistent. Up to date, no systematic review about the association between HCV infection and stroke was performed. We conducted a meta-analysis to examine whether HCV infection dose increase stroke risk in comparison to the population without HCV infection.

Methods

We followed standard guidelines for performance of meta-analysis. Two independent investigators identified eligible studies through structured keyword searches in several databases. Random-effects and fixed-effects models were used to synthesize the data. Heterogeneity between studies and publication bias were also accessed.

Results

Com

SUBMITTER: He Huang 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3827221 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature