Decline in HCV testing and compliance with guidelines in patients of Sentinelles general practitioners, 1996-2002

Between 1996 and 2002, the French Sentinelles Network observed a more than 2-fold decline in the annual rate of hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening tests prescribed by general practitioners. During this period it droped from 1080 to 450 per 100,000 inhabitants. The proportion of HCV-positives increased from 9.7% to 12.9% between 1996 and 1998 but declined steadily afterwards, reaching 7% in 2002. The majority of HCV-positive patients were men (57%), 38% were aged 30-39 years and 45% were injecting drug users. Two French guidelines for HCV screening were issued in 1997 and 2001. Of the 3462 patients with a known HCV test result, 27.4% were offered following the 1997 guidelines, among which 23.7% were HCV-positive. Of the same 3462 patients, 36.8% were offered following the extended definition of the risk group in the 2001 guidelines, among which 19.9% were positive. The percentage of subjects tested with no biological sign or clinical symptom and no HCV risk factor varies from 11% to 26% showing that SGPs carry out a targeted screening even if they deviate from the strict recommendations. Of the HCV-positive patients, 14% did not meet any criteria of the guidelines suggesting a lack of sensitivity in the current definition of patients recommended for testing.