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Hepatitis C tested prevalence and comorbidities among veterans in the US Northwest

Kevin L Sloan1, Kristy A Straits-Tröster, Jason A Dominitz

  • 1Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Mental Health Service and the Addictions Treatment Center, Seattle, WA 98108, USA. Kevin.Sloan@med.va.gov

Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology
|May 7, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection prevalence in veterans decreased due to altered testing practices, shifting away from high-risk groups. An estimated 11.4% of active users were seropositive.

Area of Science:

  • Epidemiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Hepatology

Background:

  • Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a significant cause of chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and end-stage liver disease.
  • While estimated HCV antibody prevalence in the general US population is 1.8%, veteran prevalence reports vary widely from 1.7% to 35%.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the epidemiology of HCV infection within the Veterans Administration Northwest Network.
  • To analyze temporal trends in HCV testing practices and outcomes.
  • To estimate the current prevalence of HCV infection among active veteran patients.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective review was conducted on the computerized medical records of 37,938 veterans tested for HCV between October 1994 and December 2000.
  • Data were collected from 8 Northwest Veterans Administration Medical Centers.

Main Results:

  • Of the veterans tested, 21.7% (8,230) showed evidence of HCV infection.
  • Annual testing increased, but the proportion of first-time positive results decreased from 35% to 10%.
  • This decline was linked to reduced testing among high-risk individuals (positive hepatitis B serostatus, elevated ALT, drug use disorder).
  • An estimated 11.4% (95% CI: 4.0%-19.5%) of active Northwest Network veteran users were HCV seropositive.

Conclusions:

  • HCV infection rates among veteran users of the VA system remain higher than in the general population.
  • Changes in testing practices over time complicate comparisons with earlier studies and necessitate cautious interpretation of prevalence data.
Abstract

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