Detection of hepatitis C virus RNA from the heart of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

We investigated hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in 35 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and 40 patients with ischemic heart disease who were consecutively admitted to our hospital. Frequency of positive anti-HCV antibody was significantly higher in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (6 of 35 patients, 17.1%) than that in patients with ischemic heart disease (1 of 40 patients, 2.5%, p = 0.036). In three of these six patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, HCV RNA was detected in myocardial tissue. In two of these three patients, HCV RNA was detected from biopsy and autopsy specimens of the ventricles, but not in the serum, suggesting that HCV may replicate in myocardial tissue and may be relevant to ventricular hypertrophy. Thus, HCV infection may play a role in the development of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.