RESEARCH DATA ON THE PREVALENCE OF HEPATITIS C VIRUS ANTIBODIES AMONG INPATIENTS AT A HOSPITAL IN CENTRAL BULGARIA: 2021 – 2022
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15547/tjs.2024.03.005Keywords:
anti-HCV, prevalence, screeningAbstract
Introduction and purpose: Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection is a leading cause of chronic liver diseases including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. There is insufficient data on the prevalence of HCV among hospitalized patients. Targeted testing for anti-HCV is an effective strategy for identifying asymptomatic infected individuals. The purpose of the present study was to present the results of screening for anti-HCV among inpatients at a hospital in Central Bulgaria.
Methods: A total of 3275 serum samples from 1968 men and 1307 women were tested for presence of anti-HCV at the Laboratory of Virology within the Multidisciplinary Hospital for Active Treatment (MHAT) “Uni Hospital” (Panagyurishte, Bulgaria) in the period 2021-2022. Serological analysis based on the ELFA method was performed using VIDAS Anti-HCV automated test (BioMerieux, France).
Results: Thirty-two of the tested patients (1.0%; 95% CI 0.6%-1.3%) were HCV positive. The difference between the numbers of the hospitalized (n=29) and the outpatients (n=3) was notable. The sex distribution shows that 53.1% were men and 46.9% were women. Their median age was 67 years (IQR 56-75), as the involvement of the age group 60-79 years (n=16) was predominant. A total of eight patients were diagnosed with hepatic cirrhosis, whereas three more patients had hepatocellular carcinoma.
Conclusions: We found a low level of the prevalence of anti-HCV (1%) among the patients of MHAT “Uni Hospital”, which is analogous to the level reported in the general population. We detected a higher incidence of HCV-positive serostatus among the older in comparison to younger age groups. Timely diagnosis and referrals to a gastroenterologist help to avoid progression of liver damage. All viremic patients (HCV RNA) require early access to modern antiviral therapy.
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