Martins Tatiana, Narciso-Schiavon Janaína Luz, Schiavon Leonardo de Lucca
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, UNISUL, Tubarão, SC, USA.
Rev Assoc Med Bras (1992). 2011 Jan-Feb;57(1):107-12. doi: 10.1590/s0104-42302011000100024.
Hepatitis C is a major cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. There is a significant variation in the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection according to the geographic region studied. These discrepancies reflect not only distinct epidemiological characteristics among the populations, but also differences in the methodologies used for the estimates. Despite scarce data, estimates indicate that Brazil is a country with an intermediate prevalence of HCV infection, ranging from 1% to 2%. The most important risk factors for HCV acquisition include injection drug use, blood product transfusion, organ transplantation, hemodialysis, occupational injury, sexual transmission and vertical transmission. Because there is no vaccine and no post-exposure prophylaxis for HCV, the focus of primary prevention efforts should be identification and removal of the risk factors. In this article we review literature regarding the prevalence of HCV infection, particularly in Brazil. In addition, we discuss the pattern of HCV infection according to the age groups and risk factors for HCV acquisition.
丙型肝炎是全球慢性肝病的主要病因。根据所研究的地理区域不同，丙型肝炎病毒（HCV）感染的患病率存在显著差异。这些差异不仅反映了不同人群独特的流行病学特征，也反映了用于估计患病率的方法存在差异。尽管数据匮乏，但估计表明巴西是一个HCV感染患病率处于中等水平的国家，范围在1%至2%之间。感染HCV的最重要风险因素包括注射吸毒、输血、器官移植、血液透析、职业伤害、性传播和垂直传播。由于目前尚无针对HCV的疫苗和暴露后预防措施，一级预防工作的重点应是识别并消除这些风险因素。在本文中，我们回顾了有关HCV感染患病率的文献，特别是巴西的情况。此外，我们还讨论了根据年龄组划分的HCV感染模式以及感染HCV的风险因素。
