Marmara University Pendik Training and Research Hospital, Department of Medical Microbiology, Istanbul-Turkey.
Mersin City Training and Research Hospital, Department of Medical Microbiology, Mersin-Turkey.
New Microbiol. 2023 Sep;46(3):252-257.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is an important public health problem with potential risk for Turkey. In order to contribute to the epidemiological data, we aimed to investigate the changes in seroprevalence, viremia rates, and genotypes in the last five years in HCV patients in the southern region of Turkey, which has received heavy migration in recent years, according to demographic criteria. In our study, we analyzed the results retrospectively with demographic data. Conducted at a single center, the study involved 259,875 anti-HCV antibody tests administered between January 2018 and July 2022. The study revealed a prevalence of 0.5% for HCV antibody positivity and a viremia prevalence of 0.1%. Among Turkish nationals, the most common genotypes were GT1 (65.1%), while foreign nationals, mainly of Syrian and Ukrainian origin, showed GT4 (52.3%) as the predominant genotype (p<0.001 for both). Although GT2 (7.4% vs. 4.5%) and GT3 (23.3% vs. 13.6%) were relatively higher in Turkish nationals compared to foreign nationals, the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.750 and p=0.154, respectively). This highlights the importance of continuous monitoring and public health efforts to address the potential impact of these demographic shifts on HCV epidemiology in the region.
丙型肝炎病毒（HCV）感染是一个重要的公共卫生问题，对土耳其存在潜在风险。为了为流行病学数据做出贡献，我们旨在根据人口统计学标准，调查近年来接收大量移民的土耳其南部地区 HCV 患者在过去五年中血清流行率、病毒血症率和基因型的变化。在我们的研究中，我们根据人口统计学数据回顾性分析了结果。这项在单一中心进行的研究涉及 2018 年 1 月至 2022 年 7 月期间进行的 259875 次抗 HCV 抗体检测。研究显示 HCV 抗体阳性的流行率为 0.5%，病毒血症的流行率为 0.1%。在土耳其国民中，最常见的基因型是 GT1（65.1%），而主要来自叙利亚和乌克兰的外国国民则显示 GT4（52.3%）是主要基因型（两者均 p<0.001）。尽管与外国国民相比，土耳其国民中 GT2（7.4%比 4.5%）和 GT3（23.3%比 13.6%）相对较高，但差异无统计学意义（分别为 p=0.750 和 p=0.154）。这突显了持续监测和公共卫生努力的重要性，以应对这些人口统计学变化对该地区 HCV 流行病学的潜在影响。
