Hepatitis C virus infection in Eastern Europe

This analysis aims to summarise the available information on the incidence, prevalence and characteristics of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in countries in Eastern Europe.

A questionnaire was prepared on the epidemiology and diagnosis of HCV infection and sent to national experts in the field. Further information was obtained from publications in international and national scientific journals. The incidence of acute hepatitis C in different countries for 1997 varied between 2.3 and 9.0 per 100 000 population with a trend towards increasing numbers of cases in several countries over the last few years. The prevalence of anti-HCV in blood donors ranged between 0.7% and 4.9%. The most frequent routes of transmission of HCV appear to be diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in the health care setting and/or intravenous drug use. Cumulative data on HCV genotype distribution based on 1774 patients demonstrate a large predominance of genotype 1b, which is found in between 51% and 92% of patients with HCV infection. There is a high prevalence of HCV infection in Eastern Europe. Further studies with larger groups of patients and especially including molecular diagnostic assays are needed to better define the characteristics of HCV infection, its natural course and the impact of host and viral factors on the HCV-induced liver diseases. These will have a major role for adequate selection and monitoring of the patients' treatment.