HEPATITIS-C VIRUS-INFECTION IN HOUSEHOLDS OF ANTI-HCV CHRONIC CARRIERS IN ITALY - A MULTICENTER CASE-CONTROL STUDY

To test the hypothesis that households of anti-HCV positive subjects m ight be at increased risk of HCV infection, a case-control study was c arried out comparing 518 family members of 205 anti-HCV positive subje cts (index carriers) with 281 family members of 100 anti-HCV negative subjects (index controls), consecutively observed in ten gastroenterol ogy units in different Italian regions, The index carriers were age an d sex matched to the index controls and their households were similar, vith respect to the main sociodemographic characteristics. Anti-HCV an tibodies were found in 6.9% (36/518) of household members of index car riers and in 3.2% (9/281) of household members of index controls (p < 0.05), The results of multiple logistic regression analysis showed tha t being over 50 years of age was the sole independent predictor for a household contact of the likelihood of being anti-HCV positive (O.R, 3 .6; C,I, 95% = 1.5-8.2). Being in the household of an anti-HCV index c arrier was marginally associated to anti-HCV positivity (O.R, 2.0; C.I . 95% = 0.9-4.6), No association was found for sex, area of residence, family size, lowest level of schooling, or any type of family relatio nship, These findings are not in compliance with the statement that ho usehold contacts of HCV carriers are at increased risk of HCV infectio n. The 3.2% anti-HCV prevalence rate observed among household contacts of anti-HCV negative index controls may suggest that the true anti-HC V prevalence in the general population in Italy is nearly 2.5 times as high as the 1.3% found in Italian blood donors.