Distribution of Hepatitis C Virus Genotypes in Iranian Chronic Infected Patients

Abstract

BackgroundHepatitis C virus (HCV) has different genotypes throughout the world. Since the determination of which antiviral treatment to be applied is related to HCV genotypes, identification of an individual’s HCV genotypes prior to antiviral therapy is critical.ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to investigate the distribution of HCV genotypes in a large population of Iranian HCV infected patients.Patients and MethodsEleven thousand, five hundred and sixty one patients with chronic HCV infection which referred to hospitals related to the Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Tehran Hepatitis Center-Clinical Department of Baqiyatallah Research Center for Gastroeneterology and Liver Disease from March 2003 to December 2011 were enrolled. Following extraction of viral RNA of the serum, HCV-RNA was detected using reverse transcriptase-nested polymerase chain reaction (RT-nested PCR) and then HCV genotypes analyzed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) assay.ResultsThe mean age of patients was 37.6 ± 14.2 years (range: 1-87). The highest frequency was noted for subtype 1a (44.9%) followed by subtype 3a (39.6%), and 1b (11.3%). Mixed HCV genotypes were also found in 2.5% of the total cases. Subtype 1a was the most frequent genotype in patients over 40 years of age (46.1% versus 42.4%) and subtype 3a was the most frequent in patients under 40 years old (41.5% versus 38.9%).ConclusionsThis study suggested that the dominant HCV subtype among Iranian patients was 1a followed by subtype 3a.

Assessing the Hepatitis C Genotype in Prisoners Infected with HCV in South Khorasan- 2014

“…Based on some previous reports from Iran, genotype 1a is predominant in groups receiving blood transfusion (31,32). Most studies show that variants of genotype 3a is epidemic in drug injecting users (35), which is confirmed in our study.…”

“…Recent studies on the Iranian injecting drug users (IDUs) report the prevalence a high of HCV infection, ranging from 50% to 75% depending on the area of the study, and also a significant increase in HCV infection over the last decade (14). Reports from different regions in Iran show that 31.5% to 88.9%, of IDUs have HCV antibody (32). Needle sharing among drug users, particularly in prisons, who usually have limited access to syringes, is the major reason.…”

The Prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus Genotypes in Mazandaran Province, Iran

“…According to the literature, HCV genotype 4 is the most prevalent among chronic liver patients in Egypt and Saudi Arabia (2,38), while in a previous study in Iran, genotype 1a was the predominant genotype, followed by 3a and 1b (39); these findings were inconsistent with the current results. Furthermore, in a previous study, 1a genotype was the most frequent genotype (44.9%), followed by genotypes 3a (39.6%) and 1b (11.3%) (33,40); these results were contradictory with our findings.…”

Epidemiology of Chronic Hepatitis C Infections at a Tertiary Care Centre in Oman

“…12 The prevalence of genotype 1 over other genotypes in the current study was similar to reports from other Middle Eastern countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE; 49.2%), Turkey (95.6%), Iran (56.2%) and Bahrain (37%). [18][19][20][21] However, other studies from Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Iraq found that genotype 4 was most frequent. [22][23][24] In the current study, alcohol and tobacco use were relatively uncommon.…”