Hepatitis C in prisoners and non-prisoners in Colatina, Espírito Santo, Brazil

Abstract

The aim of the present work was to compare hepatitis C prevalence, genotypes, and risk factors between prisoners and non-prisoners in the city of Colatina, Espírito Santo, Brazil. This cross-sectional study involved approximately 1,600 residents and 730 prisoners, all of whom were living in Colatina. The percentage of individuals who tested positive for anti-HCV was 0.1% (2/1,600) in the non-prisoner group and 1.0% (7/730) in the prisoner group, confirming a higher risk of hepatitis C in the latter group. The percentage of subjects who progressed to HCV-RNA negative was 11.1% (1/9), confirming the high probability of evolution to chronicity. Genotype 1 was the most predominant genotype found. Factors associated with increased risk of hepatitis C were being male, being institutionalized, having an income of less than three minimum wages, having low educational attainment, and using injected drugs. Alcohol use, pain in the liver, migraine, and reported history of hepatitis were markedly associated with hepatitis C. The prison population tested positive for anti-HCV at a higher rate than the non-prison population.Uniterms: Hepatitis C/prevalence. Hepatitis C/genotypes. Hepatitis C/risk factors. Hepatitis C/symptoms. Anti-HCV. Prison population/risks evaluation.O objetivo do presente trabalho foi comparar a prevalência, os genótipos e fatores de risco da hepatite C entre a população em geral e os presos na cidade de Colatina, Espírito Santo, Brasil. O presente estudo é transversal e comparou cerca de 1.600 moradores e 730 prisioneiros, todos eles vivendo em Colatina. A prevalência de anticorpos anti-HCV positivo foi de 0,1% (2/1.600), na população em geral, e de 1,0% (7/730) entre os presos, o que confirma o elevado risco nesse grupo. A percentagem de indivíduos que apresentam RNA-HCV negativo foi de 11,1% (1/9), confirmando a alta taxa de evolução para a cronicidade. O genótipo predominante foi o I. Fatores associados ao aumento do risco de hepatite C foram do sexo masculino, sendo institucionalizado, com renda de até três salários mínimos, baixa escolaridade e uso de drogas injetáveis. O uso de álcool, dor no fígado, enxaqueca e relato de histórias de hepatite apresentaram associação significativa com a hepatite C. A população carcerária teve maiores taxas de positividade para o anti-HCV do que a população não-prisional pesquisada.Unitermos: Hepatite C./prevalência. Hepatite C./genótipos. Hepatite C./fatores de risco. Hepatitis C/ sintomas. Anti-HCV. População carcerária/avaliação de riscos. INTRODUCTIONViral hepatitis C, isolated from viral RNA, is a relatively recent discovery (Choo et al., 1989). It has been cited often as a major determinant of chronic liver disease (Martins, Schiavon, Schiavon, 2011) and as a worldwide public health concern (Sy, Jamal, 2006). In Brazil, certain infectious diseases must be reported to the government, which is responsible for the diagnosis and treatment of these conditions. The high rates of morbidity and mortality associated with hepatitis B and C create the need for large inv...

Prevalence of hepatitis C virus in Brazil’s inmate population: a systematic review

“…The first one used second-generation ELISA and the other, third-generation ELISA. The other studies are from later years, 7 , 10 - 12 , 27 , 32 , 35 , 36 , 40 when it was possible to access second- and third-generation kits. The articles that described the generation or version of the kit and used the third-generation kit are shown in Table 1.…”

“… 12 , 18 , 32 , 40 The second- and third-generation ELISA tests have a specificity of approximately 99.0%, so the chance of false-positive results is generally considered not significant. Five studies performed confirmatory tests, four of them with in-house molecular testing (presence of virus), and the percentages of confirmed positive cases were 100%, 12 94.5%, 26 91.7%, 36 69.0%, 32 and 55.5% 7 ( Table 1 ). This raises questions about false-positive results in serology and possible difficulties in molecular testing, such as detecting a phase of low viremia or seroconversion, the high cost of supplemental tests for diagnosing HCV infection and the need for adequate laboratory infrastructure.…”

Hepatitis C and associated risks in prisons: an integrative review Hepatite C e riscos associados em presídios: uma revisão integrativa

“…In the non-incarcerated population, the prevalence of HCV-RNA and anti-HCV was 0.1% (2/1600). 11 However, the study conducted in Finland with 88 women and 300 men showed a high prevalence of antibodies against HCV, 52% in the groups. Among females, 71% and males, 43.9%.…”

Hepatitis C in Brazilian Carcerary Micropopulation

“…When separating by sex, Puga (2015) demonstrated in 3,771 prisoners randomly selected in Mato Grosso do Sul (84.6% male and 15.4% female) that anti-HCV seropositivity was different between men (2.7%) and women (0.6%). Regarding to individuals in the city of Colatina, state of Espírito Santo, Falquetto et al [12] found anti-HCV seropositivity in 0.4% among all participants. But, when comparing people inside (730 individuals) and outside…”