Prevalence of antibodies against hepatitis C virus in the adult German population

Objective The prevalence of anti-HCV in Germany has been determined for blo od donors and certain risk groups, but the burden of disease in the general population remains unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the pre valence of anti-HCV in a study group representing the normal adult German p opulation. Design A total of 5312 individuals aged 18-70 years were randomly selected from small, middle-sized and big cities in five different German states. Se ra were tested for anti-HCV by enzyme immunoassay and immune dot assay, as well as for anti-HBc and, in the case of a positive result, for anti-HBs an d HBsAg. Serological typing was performed in anti-HCV-positive persons. Results Thirty-nine individuals were anti-HCV positive; indeterminate resul ts (with antibodies against the viral core protein only) were obtained in 2 0. There was a tendency to higher prevalence rates with increasing age as w ell as to a higher prevalence in women. Serological typing revealed the pre sence of genotype 1 in the vast majority of participants (82%); only a mino rity showed genotype 3 (7.2%) or other genotypes (7.2%). Markers of HBV wer e seen in 43.6% of the anti-HCV positive individuals, with nearly one third (29.4%) of the double-infected showing anti-HBc as the only marker for HBV . Conclusions According to our data, an anti-HCV prevalence of 0.63% (95% con fidence interval, CI, 0.42-0.84%) can be assumed in the general adult Germa n population, with higher values in older people and women. Nearly half of the anti-HCV positive individuals also show markers of hepatitis B virus. E ur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 11:1215-1220 (C) 1999 Lippincott Williams & Wilk ins.