[Creation of a viral hepatitis B and C in the Côte-d'Or department. Methodology and initial results]. / Mise en place d'un registre des hépatites virales B et C dans le département de la Côte-d'Or. Méthodologie, premiers résultats. Réseau Bourguignon des Hépatites C.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The epidemiological status of viral B and C hepatitis remains unknown in the general French population. This is why a specialized registry was created in the French Côte-d'Or administrative area (493,931 inhabitants) on 1994 January 1st. METHODS: The three sources of information were a) biological and virological analysis laboratories, which report all new HBs Ag and HCV Ab cases, b) specialists in gastroenterology, hepatology, infectious diseases and internal medicine, c) pathologists. Additional information was obtained from the medical practitioner who prescribed the serology. RESULTS: Between January and December 1994, 241 new cases of HBs Ag and HCV Ab were reported 168 cases of HCV Ab (96 males, 72 females) and 73 cases of HBs Ag (37 males, 36 females) including 10 mixed cases (HBs Ag and HCV Ab). The annual standardized rate of detection of patients with HCV Ab was 26.4 +/- 4.6/100,000 inhabitants. Contamination was a result of intravenous drug addiction in 54 cases (32%), blood transfusion in 39 cases (23%) and remained unknown in 56 cases (33%). A liver biopsy was performed in 42 patients, 17 were treated with interferon during the two years following diagnosis. The standardized detection rate of patients with HBs Ag was 12.9 +/- 2.6/100,000 inhabitants. Contamination resulted from sexual transmission in 17 cases (23%), was related to a lengthy stay in endemic countries in 10 cases (14%) or to intravenous drug addiction in 6 cases (8%), and remained unknown in 37 cases (51%). A liver biopsy was performed in 6 cases and 2 patients were treated. CONCLUSION: These preliminary French population based data show that the annual frequency of detection of HBs Ag and HCV Ab is high and that care of these patients must be improved.