How are HCV-infected patients being identified in Brazil: a multicenter study
Braz. j. infect. dis
; 23(1): 34-39, Jan.-Feb. 2019. tab, graf
Article
en En
| LILACS
| ID: biblio-1001496
Biblioteca responsable:
BR1.1
ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT Background:
Hepatitis C is an important health problem. In Brazil, 1-2 million people are infected. Despite this expressive number, and the availability of very successful treatment, many patients remained undiagnosed mainly because of the asymptomatic nature of the infection.Objectives:
To describe epidemiological characteristics of HCV-infected patients seen at referral centers in Brazil, the source of referral, and the time spanned to reach a reference center, in order to improve the identification of undiagnosed patients.Methods:
Multicenter observational, cross-sectional study carried out in 15 centers of Brazil, between January/2016 and June/2017. Data of patients with a confirmed diagnosis (anti-HCV and HCV-RNA) were collected by interview using standard questionnaires and by review of charts.Results:
Two thousand patients were included; 55.1% were male, mean age 58 ± 11 years. Only 14.9% had higher education and 84.2% received up to five monthly minimum Brazilian wages (approximately US$260.00/month). The time between diagnosis and beginning of follow-up was 22.9 months. The most common reasons for testing were check-up (33.2%) and blood donation (19%). General practitioners diagnosed most of the patients (30.1%). Fibrosis stage was mainly evaluated by liver biopsy (61.5%) and 31.3% of the patients were cirrhotic at diagnosis.Conclusions:
This multicenter Brazilian study showed that the mean time to reach a referral center for treatment was almost two years. Primary care physicians diagnoses most hepatitis C cases in the country. Population campaigns and medical education should be encouraged to intensify screening of asymptomatic individuals, considering the efficiency of check-ups in identifying new patients.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
LILACS
Asunto principal:
Hepatitis C Crónica
Tipo de estudio:
Clinical_trials
/
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Límite:
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
País/Región como asunto:
America do sul
/
Brasil
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Braz. j. infect. dis
Asunto de la revista:
DOENCAS TRANSMISSIVEIS
Año:
2019
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Brasil