Race/ethnicity and Other Characteristics Associated with Current Hepatitis C Virus Infection in United States, 2003-2010 Público

Abstract

HCV antibody (anti-HCV) test alone will not distinguish current from resolved infection, whether spontaneously or by treatment. Because new antiviral therapies are effective means to reduce HCV viremia, the proportion of persons with current infection will decrease among those tested positive for anti-HCV. The study aim was to describe the percentage of current HCV infection, defined by HCV RNA positivity, among those tested positive for anti-HCV, in a nationally representative sample of adults >40 years old in the United States, focusing on racial/ethnic differences over time. Data were from National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, collected from 2003-2010. Of 31,034 participants, we identified 304 positive for anti-HCV. Of these, 238 or 75.4% (95% CI 67.5-81.8) had current HCV infection. The percentages of current HCV infection were highest among non-Hispanic blacks (91.1%) and lowest among those with college or more education (57.3%). This percentage was 92.7% among non-Hispanic blacks and 61.9% among non-Hispanic whites in 2009-2010. Among persons with current HCV infection, most had elevated ALT (56.5%) or AST (71.8%) levels, but 35.3% reported having received a diagnosis of "liver condition". Excessive alcohol drinking in the past year was reported by 27.3% of participants with current infection. Conclusions: Among adults >40 years who have ever been infected with HCV, three quarters had current HCV infection. Non-Hispanic blacks were more likely to have current infection compared to all other racial/ethnic groups. Among those with current HCV infection, most had abnormal liver function tests and many may benefit from lifestyle modifications, but only a minority received appropriate diagnoses.

Table of Contents

Chapter I. Background ................... 1
Chapter II. Manuscript ................... 5
Abstract ..................................... 5
Introduction ................................ 6
Methods ..................................... 7
Results .......................................11
Discussion ...................................14
References ..................................20
Tables ........................................33
Figure .........................................37
Chapter III. Summary .....................38

About this Master's Thesis

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School	Rollins School of Public Health
Department	Epidemiology
Degree	MPH
Submission	Master's Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Health Sciences, Epidemiology
Palabra Clave	Racial disparities Hepatitis C Treatment
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Spaulding, Anne C, Emory University Xu, Fujie, CDC
Partnering Agencies	CDC

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