Dynamic changes in the prevalence of hepatitis C virus in the general population in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) over the last 10 years

• Karen K. Kyuregyan
• Soboleva Natalya V.
• Karlsen Anastasiya A.
• Vera S. Kichatova
• Ilya А. Potemkin
• Olga V. Isaeva
• Мaria А. Lopatukhina
• Elena Yu. Malinnikova
• Gadjieva Olga V.
• Bashiryan Boris A.
• Lebedeva Natalya N.
• Serkov Igor’ L.
• Margaret E. Ignatyeva
• Snezhana S. Sleptsovа
• Olga O. Znoyko
• Nikolay D. Yushchuk
• Mikhaylov Mikhail I.

Abstract

Aim. To determine the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among all age groups of conditionally healthy population of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and to analyze its changes over the past 10 years.

Material and methods. 1045 samples of blood serum from a conditionally healthy population of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), collected in 2018, were tested. Persons from 10 age groups were included in the study: less than 1 year old, 1-4, 5-9, 10-14, 15-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, over 60 years old. Anti-HCV was determined in an ELISA. All anti-HCV positive samples were tested for HCV RNA and HCV antigen (HCV Ag) using commercial test systems. Dynamic changes in the prevalence of HCV infection were assessed on the basis of a comparison of the results obtained in the current study with similar data obtained in 2008 in the same region in the same age cohorts of conditionally healthy population (n=982).

Results and discussion. The detection rate of anti-HCV among the conditionally healthy population of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) averaged 2.0%. This indicator decreased by 2 times in the last 10 years (4% in 2008, p<0.05). The prevalence of active HCV infection among the conditionally healthy population of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) also decreased over the past 10 years (0.6% in 2018 vs 1.4% in 2008, p<0.05), while the proportion of individuals with active infection among anti-HCV positives averaged 28.6%. When testing serum samples positive for anti-HCV, the concordance between detection of HCV RNA and HCV Ag was 100%. The observed decrease in the prevalence of HCV infection over the past 10 years was associated with a decrease in prevalence among conditionally healthy people aged 30-39 years (0% in 2018 vs 3.7% in 2008 for active HCV infection, p<0.05; 1.7% in 2018 vs 9.6% in 2008 for anti-HCV, p<0.05). The highest rates of detection of anti-HCV and HCV RNA were found among persons aged 60 years and older (9.9 and 4.4%, respectively, in 2018, and 12.1 and 4.4%, respectively, in 2008), which significantly exceeded the similar indicators in the other age groups both in 2008 and 2018 (p<0.05).

Conclusion. Over the past 10 years, the prevalence of HCV infection has decreased in the general population of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), primarily due to a decrease in the proportion of undetected infections among people aged 30-39 years. At the same time, the proportion of infected individuals among the conditionally healthy population in the age group of 60 years and older remains consistently high, which seems to be due to insufficient coverage of the diagnostics of this age cohort. Screening for HCV infection is advisable for persons aged 60 years or older in this region of Russian Federation.

Keywords:hepatitis C, anti-HCV, HCV RNA, age cohorts, diagnostics, screening

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