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Review
. 2016 Sep 28;22(36):8094-102.
doi: 10.3748/wjg.v22.i36.8094.

Epidemiology of hepatitis C in Greece

Christos Triantos  1 , Christos Konstantakis  1 , Paraskeui Tselekouni  1 , Maria Kalafateli  1 , Ioanna Aggeletopoulou  1 , Spilios Manolakopoulos  1
Affiliations
Review

Epidemiology of hepatitis C in Greece

Christos Triantos et al. World J Gastroenterol. .

Abstract

Hepatitis C is a global health issue and constitutes a major cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. In this article, a comprehensive literature search was conducted for the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in Greece, since data on the HCV prevalence, viremia and genotypes are important for developing strategies to manage or eliminate HCV infection. In addition, the pattern of HCV infection was analyzed according to the geographic region and the risk factors. These differences reflect not only distinct epidemiological characteristics among populations, but also differences on the strategy of data acquisition and quantification. Although there are not enough data, the estimation of the current prevalence of Hepatitis C in Greece ranges from 0.5% to 2%. The most important risk factors for HCV infection include blood product transfusion, intravenous drug use, chronic hemodialysis, organ transplantation, occupational exposure, sexual transmission, and vertical transmission. Because of lack of vaccine or effective post-exposure prophylaxis for HCV, the main focus of prevention is to recognize and control these risk factors. HCV infection in Greece is closely associated with the development of chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and primary hepatocellular carcinoma. As far as the genotype distribution is concerned genotype 1 estimated to be 45%-47% and it constitutes the prevalent genotype in Greece, followed by genotype 3.

Keywords: Epidemiology; Greece; Hepatitis C; Hepatitis C virus infection; Prevalence.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict-of-interest statement: Triantos Christos has received fees for serving as a speaker for Gilead Sciences and Bristol-Myers Squibb, and as an advisory board member for Gilead Sciences and for MSD.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Genotype distribution in the Greek population.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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