Hepatitis C: changing genotype distribution with important implications for patient management.

In The Netherlands an estimated 0.1 to 0.4% of the population are chronic hepatitis C (HCV) carriers (15,000 to 60,000 persons). HCV is characterised by genetic heterogeneity and six different genotypes have been identified. The distribution of HCV genotypes is relevant for the clinician, since there are important genotype-specific differences in response to interferon-alpha based treatment regimens. Between 1993 and 2005 a shift was observed in The Netherlands from a dominant prevalence of genotype 1 to a situation in which genotype non-1 is becoming more important.