The New England Journal of Medicine
e-mail icon  FREE NEJM E-TOC    HOME   |   SUBSCRIBE   |   CURRENT ISSUE   |   PAST ISSUES   |   COLLECTIONS   |    Advanced Search
Sign in | Get NEJM's E-Mail Table of Contents — Free | Subscribe
 
Original Article
PreviousPrevious
Volume 341:556-562 August 19, 1999 Number 8
NextNext

The Prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus Infection in the United States, 1988 through 1994
Miriam J. Alter, Ph.D., Deanna Kruszon-Moran, M.S., Omana V. Nainan, Ph.D., Geraldine M. McQuillan, Ph.D., Fengxiang Gao, M.D., Linda A. Moyer, B.S., Richard A. Kaslow, M.D., M.P.H., and Harold S. Margolis, M.D.

 Sign up for free e-toc
 

This Article
-Full Text
- PDF

Commentary
-Letters

Tools and Services
-Add to Personal Archive
-Add to Citation Manager
-Notify a Friend
-E-mail When Cited

More Information
-PubMed Citation
ABSTRACT

Background Because many persons with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are asymptomatic, population-based serologic studies are needed to estimate the prevalence of the infection and to develop and evaluate prevention efforts.

Methods We performed tests for antibody to HCV (anti-HCV) on serum samples from 21,241 persons six years old or older who participated in the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, conducted during 1988 through 1994. We determined the prevalence of HCV RNA by means of nucleic acid amplification and the genotype by means of sequencing.

Results The overall prevalence of anti-HCV was 1.8 percent, corresponding to an estimated 3.9 million persons nationwide (95 percent confidence interval, 3.1 million to 4.8 million) with HCV infection. Sixty-five percent of the persons with HCV infection were 30 to 49 years old. Seventy-four percent were positive for HCV RNA, indicating that an estimated 2.7 million persons in the United States (95 percent confidence interval, 2.4 million to 3.0 million) were chronically infected, of whom 73.7 percent were infected with genotype 1 (56.7 percent with genotype 1a, and 17.0 percent with genotype 1b). Among subjects 17 to 59 years of age, the strongest factors independently associated with HCV infection were illegal drug use and high-risk sexual behavior. Other factors independently associated with infection included poverty, having had 12 or fewer years of education, and having been divorced or separated. Neither sex nor racial–ethnic group was independently associated with HCV infection.

Conclusions In the United States, about 2.7 million persons are chronically infected with HCV. People who use illegal drugs or engage in high-risk sexual behavior account for most persons with HCV infection.


Source Information

From the Hepatitis Branch, Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta (M.J.A., O.V.N., F.G., L.A.M., H.S.M.); the National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hyattsville, Md. (D.K.-M., G.M.M.); and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, Md. (R.A.K.).

Address reprint requests to Dr. Alter at the Hepatitis Branch, Mailstop G37, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333.

Full Text of this Article


Related Letters:

Prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus Infection in the United States
Murphy E. L., Bryzman S., Williams A. E., Dore G. J., Law M. G., Kaldor J. M., Stroffolini T., D'Argenio P., Mele A., Alter M. J., Kruszon-Moran D., McQuillan G. M.
Extract | Full Text  
N Engl J Med 1999; 341:2093-2095, Dec 30, 1999. Correspondence

This article has been cited by other articles:



HOME  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  SEARCH  |  CURRENT ISSUE  |  PAST ISSUES  |  COLLECTIONS  |  PRIVACY  |  TERMS OF USE  |  HELP  |  beta.nejm.org

Comments and questions? Please contact us.

The New England Journal of Medicine is owned, published, and copyrighted © 2010 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.