Occurrence and Spatial Distribution of Hepatitis C in a Western Brazilian Amazon State

Abstract

-Context -Hepatitis C causes a major impact on public health due to the high prevalence in the population. ObjectivesEvaluate the epidemiological data of hepatitis C in the State of Rondônia, Brazil. Methods Data from hepatitis C were analyzed during the period 2002 to 2012, assigned by the Agency for Sanitary Vigilance of the State of Rondônia. The variables studied were: year of diagnosis, gender, age, associated disease, exposure to risk factors and clinical presentation. Results Eight hundred fiftynine cases were reported during the study period. Of this total, 542 (63.1%) cases were male. In relation to age group, the one with the highest number of cases was between 4059 years (54%), followed by 2039 years (33.5%). In relation to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) association, 1.8% of patients had HIV and 2.1% other type of sexually transmitted disease. About exposure to risk factors, 288 (28.1%) individuals were exposed to a surgical procedure. Was also analyzed the clinical form of the disease, 9.9% are in acute disease and 91.1% in the chronic phase. Conclusions In the State of Rondônia, hepatitis C had a mean annual incidence of 5.1 cases/100,000 inhabitants, similar to the national rate. HEADINGS -Descriptive epidemiology. Hepatitis C. Hepacivirus.

Determination of hepatitis B, C and D prevalence among urban and Amerindian populations from the Eastern Brazilian Amazon: a cross sectional study

“…Viral hepatitis is higher in the Northern areas where many Amerindians live, and even within this region prevalence varies between different areas. Most prevalence studies of viral hepatitis from the North of Brazil were conducted in Western Amazon [ 15 – 20 ] and there is a gap in the literature in terms of geographical variations. As a result, this information is needed to develop targeted screening programs.…”

Genomic Variability of Hepatitis B Virus Circulating in Brazilian Western Amazon

“…From 1999 to 2019, Brazil registered 247,890 confirmed cases with a detection rate of 6.7 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 2019 [ 2 ]. The state of Rondônia, located in the north is highly endemic [ 3 , 4 , 5 ] with its capital Porto Velho ranking first among those with the highest detection rates: with 30.4 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, which is higher than the national average [ 2 , 6 ].…”

Incidence of hepatitis C in Brazil

“…Furthermore, infected individuals develop chronic forms of the disease and may develop complications such as cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, hepatic steatosis, or fibrosis (9) (10) . Some data suggest that approximately 500,000 deaths per year worldwide are caused by such complications (11) , which can also cause a signifi cant reduction in the quality of life and well-being of affl icted individuals (12) .…”