Nine-year distribution pattern of hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes in Southern Italy

It has been greatly described that different hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes are strictly correlated to various evolution, prognosis and response to therapy during the chronic liver disease. Aim of this study was to outline the changes in the epidemiology of Hepatitis C genotypes in Southern Italy regions from 2006 to 2014.

Prevalence of HCV genotypes was analyzed in 535 HCV-RNA positive patients with chronic Hepatitis C infection, selected during the period 2012-2014, and compared with our previous data, referred to periods 2006-2008 and 2009-2011.

In all the three periods analyzed, genotype 1b is predominant (51.8% in 2006-08, 48.3% in 2009-11 and 54.4% in 2012-14) while genotype 2 showed an increase in prevalence (27.9% in 2006-08, 31.7% in 2009-11 and 35.2% in 2012-14) and genotypes 3a and 1a a decrease during the same period (6.8% in 2006-08, 4.7% in 2009-11 and 3.2% in 2012-14 and 7.9% in 2006-08, 4.7% in 2009-11 and 2.6% in 2012-14, respectively). Subtype 1b seems to be equally distributed between males and females (52.7% vs 56.6%) and the prevalence in the age range 31-40 years is significantly higher in the 2012-14 period than in both previous periods (53.8% vs. 16.6% in 2009-11, p< 0.001 and 13.4% in 2006-08, p < 0.001).

Genotype 1b is still the most prevalent, even if shows a significantly increase in the under 40 years old population. Instead, genotype 3a seems to have a moderate increase among young people. Overall, the alarming finding is the "returning" role of the iatrogenic transmission as risk factor for the diffusion of Hepatitis C infection.