Hepatitis C virus infection in institutionalized psychiatric patients - Possible role of transmission by razor sharing

The objective of this study was to determine if HCV can be transmitted from patient to patient in psychiatric institutions and to determine possible r outes of infection. We did a cross-sectional survey of 196 Japanese psychia tric patients tested for HCV and HBV markers and 400 age- and sex-matched c ontrols. Anti-HCV was detected in 10.2% and antibody to hepatitis B core an tigen was detected in 44.4% of the patients, a significantly higher prevale nce than found among matched controls. A multiple regression logistic analy sis was used to identify risk factors that could indicate the route of infe ction by HCV. Duration of hospitalization, age, razor sharing, and history of surgery proved to be statistically significant independent risk factors associated with positive anti-HCV results [odds ratio (OR), 4.00; 95% confi dence interval (CI), CI, 1.74-9.19; OR, 2.19; 95% CI, 1.27-1.3.77; OR, 4.90 ; 95% CI, 1.29-18.86; OR, 3.35; 95% CI, 0.997-11.3, respectively]. These ob servations suggest that razor sharing played an important role in the sprea d of the HCV infection in the institutionalized psychiatric patients we stu died.