HCV infection in the general population of a Greek island: Prevalence and risk factors

Background/Aims: Although HCV seroprevalence in blood donors in Greece is l ow (0.2-0.4%) epidemiologic characteristics of HCV infection in the general population have not been studied enough. The objective of this study was t o examine the seroprevalence of HCV infection and associated risk factors i n the general population of Zakinthos, a Greek island with a well-defined m ixed (urban and rural) population. Methodology: A household health survey was carried out in a randomly select ed sample of 718 adults. A questionnaire was completed and a blood sample w as obtained from all participants. Serum samples were tested for anti-HCV a ntibodies by third generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and supplem ental test. The influence of sociodemographic characteristics and possible associated risk factors on the HCV seroprevalence was investigated by logis tic regression analysis. Results: The overall anti-HCV prevalence was 1.25%. A well-defined rural ar ea with a significant higher prevalence (6.8% vs. 0.62%; P<0.001) was ident ified. There was a trend of increasing prevalence with age, with a signific ant difference (P<0.027) between the age groups 15-44 (0%) and over 45 (2.1 5%). The logistic regression analysis confirmed a significant association b etween anti-HCV positivity and: increasing age (P<0.001), history of blood transfusion (0.0001), intramuscular injections (P<0.04). Conclusions: The results of this field-survey in a well-defined general pop ulation, indicates that HCV seroprevalence (1.25%) is much higher than that of blood donors in the same area. The increasing prevalence with age and t he association with parenteral exposure indicates that HCV infection can ma inly be attributed to pal enteral techniques in the past. The identificatio n of a concrete rural area with particularly high seroprevalence needs furt her study of the whole population of the area.