Awareness of chronic hepatitis C in the Western Black Sea Region

Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) can be cured with oral antivirals. Awareness of CHC is a substantial barrier to the World Health Organization's goal of eradicating HCV by 2030. This study aimed at evaluating CHC awareness among different departments in a Western Black Sea Region University Hospital.

Anti-HCV and HCV RNA test results of all patients admitted to our center for whatever reason and who underwent anti-HCV screening between January 2017 and January 2022 were analyzed. CHC awareness has been defined as the presence of HCV RNA testing for anti-HCV positives.

Of the 63,963 patients who underwent anti-HCV testing, anti-HCV positivity was observed in 2%. HCV RNA was tested in 647 (48.8%) patients who had tested positive for anti-HCV. The HCV RNA was positive in 212 (32.7%) patients tested. Only 66 (29.7%) of those with positive HCV RNA test results had received antiviral therapy. The distribution of HCV RNA testing rates for patients with positive anti-HCV by different departments were as follows: 33% (n=78/232) in medical inpatient clinics, 78% (n=539/685) in medical outpatient clinics, 7% (n=16/223) in surgical inpatient clinics, 7% (n=14/183) in surgical outpatient clinics, and 0% in the emergency department.

The prevalence of anti-HCV positivity in our region was 2%. Less than half of the patients tested for anti-HCV had HCV RNA testing, and less than a third of the HCV RNA-positive patients received antiviral therapy. To meet the WHO's HCV eradication target by 2030, it is necessary to increase physicians' awareness of CHC.