Evaluation of a strategy for identification of hepatitis C virus carriers in outpatient and emergency units: contribution to the microelimination of hepatitis C in Brazil.
Braz J Infect Dis
; 25(2): 101546, 2021.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33636108
INTRODUCTION: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection continues to be an important public health problem worldwide. Despite the availability of drugs that promote the cure of infection in more than 95% of cases, the identification of HCV carriers remains a major challenge. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a strategy for identifying HCV carriers based on combined criteria: screening in emergency units and specialty outpatient clinics of a tertiary hospital and among older adults (≥45 years), both suggested as efficient in epidemiological studies. METHODS: A cross-sectional, analytical and descriptive study was conducted on individuals of both sexes, aged 45 years and older, attending the emergency department and specialty outpatient clinics of a University Hospital in São Paulo, Brazil, from January 2016 to June 2018. After giving formal consent, the patients were submitted to a standardized interview and rapid testing for the identification of HCV antibodies (SD BIOLINE® anti-HCV). RESULTS: A total of 606 adult patients (62% women and 37% men) were evaluated. The mean age was 62±10 years. Four positive tests were identified, with confirmation by conventional serology and HCV-RNA determination. Thus, the prevalence of HCV identified in the sample was 0.66%. All patients had a history of risk factors for infection. CONCLUSION: The strategies of birth-cohort testing and screening in emergency medical services for the identification of HCV carries, both suggested in the literature as efficient for the diagnosis of hepatitis C, resulted in a low rate of HCV infection. These findings highlight the magnitude of the challenge of identifying asymptomatic HCV carriers in Brazil.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Hepatite C
/
Hepacivirus
Tipo de estudo:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Observational_studies
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Prevalence_studies
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Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Aged
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Female
/
Humans
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Male
/
Middle aged
País/Região como assunto:
America do sul
/
Brasil
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Braz J Infect Dis
Assunto da revista:
DOENCAS TRANSMISSIVEIS
Ano de publicação:
2021
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Brasil
País de publicação:
Brasil