PREVALENCE OF ANTI-HEPATITIS-C VIRUS-ANTIBODIES AMONG PATIENTS HOSPITALIZED IN A MEDICAL UNIT

Background: Most cases of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are not as sociated with blood transfusion, and only 50% of the patients have a h istory of exposure to blood. The role of inapparent sources of infecti on has yet to be established. Few data exist concerning the prevalence of anti-HCV antibodies among hospitalized patients. Objective: To ass ess the prevalence of anti-HCV antibodies in a group of 728 consecutiv e inpatients admitted to a medical unit, and to ascertain whether hosp italization represents a potential risk factor for HCV transmission. R esults: Of the patients, 73.3% with and 4.6% without chronic liver dis ease were found to be anti-HCV-positive. The rate of previous hospital admissions did not differ between anti-HCV-positive and -negative pat ients. Conclusions: Anti-HCV antibody prevalence among patients admitt ed to medical units is higher than in the general population; however, hospitalization alone does not seem to place a patient at risk of acq uiring HCV infection. Diagnostic procedures, rather than the hospital stay, should be regarded as potential sources of parenteral infection.