1887
  1. Home
  2. Eurosurveillance
  3. Volume 22, Issue 30, 27/Jul/2017
  4. Article
Research article Open Access
Like 0
Download

Abstract

Robust data on hepatitis C virus (HCV) population prevalence are essential to inform national HCV services. In 2016, we undertook a survey to estimate HCV prevalence among the adult population in Ireland. We used anonymised residual sera available at the National Virus Reference Laboratory. We selected a random sample comprising persons ≥ 18 years with probability proportional to the general population age-sex distribution. Anti-HCV and HCV Ag were determined using the Architect anti-HCV and HCV Ag assays. Fifty-three of 3,795 specimens were seropositive (age-sex-area weighted seroprevalence 0.98% (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.73–1.3%)). Thirty-three specimens were HCV-antigen and antibody-positive (age-sex-area weighted prevalence of chronic infection 0.57% (95% CI: 0.40–0.81%)). The prevalence of chronic infection was higher in men (0.91%; 95% CI: 0.61–1.4%), in specimens from the east of the country (1.4%; 95%CI: 0.99–2.0%), and among persons aged 30–39 years and 40–49 years (1.1% (95% CI: 0.59–2.0%) and 1.1% (95% CI: 0.64–1.9%) respectively). Ireland ranks at the lower end of the spectrum of prevalence of chronic HCV infection internationally. Men born between 1965 and 1984 from the east of the country have the highest rate of chronic HCV infection.

© Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2017.22.30.30579
2017-07-27
2024-12-26
/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2017.22.30.30579
Loading
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/eurosurveillance/22/30/eurosurv-22-30-4.html?itemId=/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2017.22.30.30579&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

References

  1. Seeff LB. The history of the "natural history" of hepatitis C (1968-2009). Liver Int. 2009;29(Suppl 1):89-99.  https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1478-3231.2008.01927.x  PMID: 19207971 
  2. Westbrook RH, Dusheiko G. Natural history of hepatitis C. J Hepatol. 2014;61(1) Suppl;S58-68.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhep.2014.07.012  PMID: 25443346 
  3. World Health Organization (WHO). Hepatitis C Fact sheet. Geneva: WHO. [Accessed 24 Oct 2016]. Available from: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs164/en/
  4. Mohd Hanafiah K, Groeger J, Flaxman AD, Wiersma ST. Global epidemiology of hepatitis C virus infection: new estimates of age-specific antibody to HCV seroprevalence. Hepatology. 2013;57(4):1333-42.  https://doi.org/10.1002/hep.26141  PMID: 23172780 
  5. Gower E, Estes C, Blach S, Razavi-Shearer K, Razavi H. Global epidemiology and genotype distribution of the hepatitis C virus infection. J Hepatol. 2014;61(1) Suppl;S45-57.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhep.2014.07.027  PMID: 25086286 
  6. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Technical Report. Hepatitis B and C in the EU neighbourhood: prevalence, burden of disease and screening policies. Stockholm: ECDC; 2010. Available from: http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications/Publications/TER_100914_Hep_B_C%20_EU_neighbourhood.pdf
  7. The Lancet. Hepatitis C: only a step away from elimination? Lancet. 2015;385(9973):1045.  https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)60584-0  PMID: 25797543 
  8. Health Service Executive (HSE). National Hepatitis C Treatment Programme. Dublin: HSE. [Accessed 24 Oct 2016]. Available from: http://www.hse.ie/eng/about/Who/primarycare/hepcprogramme%20.html
  9. Health Service Executive (HSE). 2012. National Hepatitis C Strategy 2011-2014. Dublin: HSE. [Accessed 24 Oct 2016]. Available from: http://www.lenus.ie/hse/bitstream/10147/243033/1/HepCstrategy.pdf
  10. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Tender for the development of a seroprevalence survey for hepatitis C in EU/EEA countries. Stockholm: ECDC; 12 Dec 2015. Available from: http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/aboutus/calls/_layouts/forms/Call_DispForm.aspx?ID=751&List=02511b7b-3a16-4c4b-9304-54cfc08a1647#sthash.K8C1sC33.dpuf
  11. Grogan L, Tiernan M, Geogeghan N, Smyth B, Keenan E. Bloodborne virus infections among drug users in Ireland: a retrospective cross-sectional survey of screening, prevalence, incidence and hepatitis B immunisation uptake. Ir J Med Sci. 2005;174(2):14-20.  https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03169123  PMID: 16094907 
  12. Smyth BP, Barry J, Keenan E. Irish injecting drug users and hepatitis C: the importance of the social context of injecting. Int J Epidemiol. 2005;34(1):166-72.  https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyh347  PMID: 15513970 
  13. Allwright S, Bradley F, Long J, Barry J, Thornton L, Parry JV. Prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV and risk factors in Irish prisoners: results of a national cross sectional survey. BMJ. 2000;321(7253):78-82.  https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.321.7253.78  PMID: 10884256 
  14. O’Connell S, Lillis D, Cotter A, O’Dea S, Tuite H, Fleming C, et al. Opt-Out Panel Testing for HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C in an Urban Emergency Department: A Pilot Study. PLoS One. 2016;11(3):e0150546.  https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0150546  PMID: 26967517 
  15. Lambert J, Jackson V, Coulter-Smith S, Brennan M, Geary M, Kelleher TB, et al. Universal antenatal screening for hepatitis C. Ir Med J. 2013;106(5):136-9. PMID: 23914572 
  16. Martyn F, Phelan O, O’Connell M. Hepatitis C: is there a case for universal screening in pregnancy? Ir Med J. 2011;104(5):144-6. PMID: 21736090 
  17. Thornton L, Murphy N, Jones L, Connell J, Dooley S, Gavin S, et al. Determination of the burden of hepatitis C virus infection in Ireland. Epidemiol Infect. 2012;140(8):1461-8.  https://doi.org/10.1017/S0950268811001920  PMID: 21923968 
  18. Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC). Annual Epidemiological Report 2014. Dublin: HPSC; 2014. Available from: http://www.hpsc.ie/AboutHPSC/AnnualReports/File,15505,en.pdf
  19. Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC). National Hepatitis C Database for infection acquired through blood and blood products: Baseline Report. Dublin: HPSC; 2007. Available from: http://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/hepatitis/hepatitisc/hepatitiscdatabase/baselineandfollow-upreports/File,2537,en.pdf
  20. Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC). National Hepatitis C Database for infection acquired through blood and blood products: 2015 Report. Dublin: HPSC; 2015. Available from: http://www.hpsc.ie/a-z/hepatitis/hepatitisc/hepatitiscdatabase/baselineandfollow-upreports/File,15238,en.pdf
  21. Vriend HJ, Op de Coul EL, van de Laar TJ, Urbanus AT, van der Klis FR, Boot HJ. Hepatitis C virus seroprevalence in the Netherlands. Eur J Public Health. 2012;22(6):819-21.  https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/cks013  PMID: 22461704 
  22. Vriend HJ, Van Veen MG, Prins M, Urbanus AT, Boot HJ, Op De Coul EL. Hepatitis C virus prevalence in The Netherlands: migrants account for most infections. Epidemiol Infect. 2013;141(6):1310-7.  https://doi.org/10.1017/S0950268812001884  PMID: 22963908 
Hepatitis C virus seroprevalence and prevalence of chronic infection in the adult population in Ireland: a study of residual sera, April 2014 to February 2016
<p class="citation"> <span>Citation style for this article:</span> <span class="meta-value authors"> <a href="/search?value1=Patricia+Garvey&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Garvey Patricia</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Brian+O%26apos%3BGrady&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">O&apos;Grady Brian</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Geraldine+Franzoni&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Franzoni Geraldine</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Maeve+Bolger&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Bolger Maeve</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Katie+Irwin+Crosby&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Irwin Crosby Katie</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Jeff+Connell&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Connell Jeff</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Deirdre+Burke&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Burke Deirdre</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Cillian+De+Gascun&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">De Gascun Cillian</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Lelia+Thornton&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Thornton Lelia</a></span>. Hepatitis C virus seroprevalence and prevalence of chronic infection in the adult population in Ireland: a study of residual sera, April 2014 to February 2016. <a href="/content/ecdc">Euro Surveill.</a> 2017;22(30):pii=30579. <a href="https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2017.22.30.30579" title="doi link" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2017.22.30.30579</a> <span class="ES_Article_citation"> <span class="generated">Received</span>: 26 Oct 2016;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class="generated">Accepted</span>: 17 May 2017 </span> </p>
/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2017.22.30.30579
/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2017.22.30.30579
Loading

Data & Media loading...

Submit comment
Close
Comment moderation successfully completed
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error