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. 2022 Oct;33(10):838-843.
doi: 10.5152/tjg.2022.21726.

Changes in Hepatitis C Awareness in Different Disciplines During COVID-19

Sezgin Barutçu  1 , Çiğdem Yıldırım  2 , Abdullah Emre Yıldırım  1 , Buğra Tolga Konduk  1 , Zeynel Abidin Sayiner  3 , Murat Taner Gülşen  1
Affiliations

Changes in Hepatitis C Awareness in Different Disciplines During COVID-19

Sezgin Barutçu et al. Turk J Gastroenterol. 2022 Oct.

Abstract

Background: We aimed to determine the awareness of referring hepatitis C virus patients to the relevant departments and the effect of the pandemic period on this subject.

Methods: A total of 65 743 patients with anti-hepatitis C virus requests before and during the COVID-19 pandemic were retrospectively screened. Anti-hepatitis C virus-positive patients were divided into 5 groups according to age distribution. The distribution of patients with anti-hepatitis C virus positivity was compared according to age groups, before and during COVID-19. Anti-hepatitis C virus-pos- itive patients who were not requested hepatitis C virus RNA were evaluated individually according to the departments, and hepatitis C virus awareness was compared before and during COVID-19.

Results: Anti-hepatitis C virus positivity rate was 1.54% before COVID-19; this rate was 2.15% during COVID-19. When the anti-hep- atitis C virus positivity rate was compared in terms of age distribution according to before and during COVID-19, it was observed that there was a statistically significant decrease in the >65 age group in the COVID-19 period (P = .004). It was found that 216 (32%) of the patients who had anti-hepatitis C virus (+) before COVID-19 and 231 (48.1%) of the patients during COVID-19 were not requested hepatitis C virus RNA test (P < .0001). The departments with the highest awareness of hepatitis C virus were gastroenterology, infec- tious diseases, hematology, gynecology and obstetrics, and oncology, while the departments with the lowest hepatitis C virus awareness were ophthalmology, psychiatry, and general surgery. It was found that chronic hepatitis C virus awareness decreased in all departments during COVID-19.

Conclusion: Hepatitis C virus awareness has decreased in all medical departments despite the physician alert system during COVID-19 and also the rate of anti-hepatitis C virus (+) patients decreased in the group aged >65 years during the pandemic.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Age distribution of anti-HCV (+) patients. HCV, hepatitis C virus.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
HCV RNA request rates in patients with anti-HCV (+) according to departments before COVID-19. HCV, hepatitis C virus.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
HCV RNA request rates in patients with anti-HCV (+) according to departments during COVID-19. HCV, hepatitis C virus.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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