> Analysis of the TriNetX electronic health record database with data on 285 million patients revealed that the prevalence of chronic HCV was 3.6 and 3.9 percent in the SCZ and BPD populations respectively. The prevalence of chronic HCV in these populations was almost double that observed for MDD (1.8%) and approximately 7-fold higher than the control population (0.5%).
The association is real, but it’s not clear that HCV is a causal factor from this study. The only mechanistic bit that suggests a causal relation was that HCV indeed appeared in the brain (well, the choroid plexus) and may have triggered a local immune response. But the leap from that to “hepC causes schizophrenia and bipolar disorder” is pretty large.
cwmoore · 1d ago
> “the leap from that to “hepC causes schizophrenia and bipolar disorder” is pretty large”
Causally it’s the other way around? Obviously?
_alternator_ · 1d ago
At first blush, yes, would seem so. I’m not sure how well IV drug use was controlled for here; hopefully the experts can comment.
hungmung · 1d ago
Interestingly, the new drug used to cure hep c can throw you into a manic episode. It's something that's still being looked into because they aren't sure if the medicine can cause it directly, or if it's just the sudden life change, or if it's a response to your body suddenly not having to fight a chronic infection so you have more energy that you aren't used to handling.
yadaeno · 1d ago
Hep C is already curable with antivirals, wouldn’t we notice this with existing treatments if this theory was correct?
hungmung · 4h ago
Well we might have seen it...the old hep c antiviral has been known to give people a lot of trouble mentally. I know one guy who had it, and while he was an extrovert with a lot of charisma, he developed crippling anxiety and agoraphobia which lasted for years after he was cured. YMMV.
IANAD(octor) btw, I've just seen a few people go through hep treatment and heard doctors' stories and opinions.
> Analysis of the TriNetX electronic health record database with data on 285 million patients revealed that the prevalence of chronic HCV was 3.6 and 3.9 percent in the SCZ and BPD populations respectively. The prevalence of chronic HCV in these populations was almost double that observed for MDD (1.8%) and approximately 7-fold higher than the control population (0.5%).
The association is real, but it’s not clear that HCV is a causal factor from this study. The only mechanistic bit that suggests a causal relation was that HCV indeed appeared in the brain (well, the choroid plexus) and may have triggered a local immune response. But the leap from that to “hepC causes schizophrenia and bipolar disorder” is pretty large.
Causally it’s the other way around? Obviously?
IANAD(octor) btw, I've just seen a few people go through hep treatment and heard doctors' stories and opinions.