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Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz
ISSN: 1678-8060 EISSN: 1678-8060
Vol. 94, No. 6, 1999, pp. 719-723
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Bioline Code: oc99218
Full paper language: English
Document type: Research Article
Document available free of charge
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Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Vol. 94, No. 6, 1999, pp. 719-723
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Hepatitis C Virus Prevalence Among an Immigrant Community to the Southern Amazon, Brazil
Souto, Francisco José Dutra; Fontes, Cor Jésus Fernandes; Martelli, Celina Maria Turchi; Turchi, Marília Dalva; Martins, Regina Maria B. & de Andrade, Ana Lúcia S. Sgambatti
Abstract
A community-based random survey was conducted in a southern Brazilian Amazonian county aiming to investigate hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection prevalence and the association of demographic variables and lifestyle behaviours. Seven hundred eighty individuals were serologically screened with a third generation
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect anti-HCV antibodies between 1994/1995. Positive samples were retested for confirmation with a line immunoassay (LIA, Inno-LIA HCV Ab III). Most of these subjects were low income and came from southern Brazilian states (65.8). Two point four percent (IC 95% 1.2%- 4.6%) of the subjects had LIA-confirmed anti-HCV antibodies reactivity. The age-specific prevalence of HCV antibodies slightly increased with age, with the highest prevalence after the age of 40 years. The results of multivariate analysis indicate a strong association between HCV antibodies and previous surgery and history of intravenous drug use. There were no apparent association with gender, hepatitis B virus markers, blood transfusion, and sexual activity. Mean time living in Amazon did not differ between confirmed and negative anti-HCV individuals. The present data point out an intermediate
endemicity of HCV infection among this immigrant community to the Amazon region and that few HCV infected participants presented known risk factors.
Keywords
Amazon - emigration and immigration - epidemiology - hepatitis C virus
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