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. 2024 Sep 11;16(9):1446.
doi: 10.3390/v16091446.

Seroprevalence of Hepatitis C Virus and Factors Associated with It in Armenia, 2021

Anahit Demirchyan  1 , Antons Mozalevskis  2 , Serine Sahakyan  1 , Lusine Musheghyan  1 , Lusine Aslanyan  1 , Diana Muradyan  1 , Narina Sargsyants  3 , Gayane Ghukasyan  4 , Varduhi Petrosyan  1
Affiliations

Seroprevalence of Hepatitis C Virus and Factors Associated with It in Armenia, 2021

Anahit Demirchyan et al. Viruses. .

Abstract

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is among the leading causes of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Knowledge of its prevalence and risk factors can help to effectively fight the virus. This study was the first to investigate the seroprevalence of HCV, its genotypes, and factors associated with it among the general adult population of Armenia selected countrywide via cluster sampling. Anti-HCV antibodies were detected using third-generation immunoassay. Polymerase chain reaction and genotyping was performed among anti-HCV-positive individuals. Shortly after testing, the participants underwent a telephone survey. Logistic regression models were fitted to identify factors associated with anti-HCV antibody positivity and chronic HCV infection. The prevalence of anti-HCV antibodies among 3831 tested individuals was 2% (99% CI 1.4, 2.5), and chronic HCV infection was 0.7% (99% CI 0.4, 1.0), with genotypes 3 and 2 being the most common. The risk factors for chronic HCV infection included self-reported chronic liver disease (95% CI 1.47, 15.28), having tattoos (95% CI 1.34, 10.94), ever smoking (95% CI 1.16, 9.18), and testing positive for hepatitis B virus core antibody (95% CI 1.02, 7.17). These risk factors demonstrate that there could be room for strengthening infection control measures to prevent the transmission of HCV in Armenia.

Keywords: Armenia; general population; hepatitis C virus; risk factors; seroprevalence.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Weighted prevalence estimates of anti-HCV antibodies and chronic HCV infection by 10-year age groups among the study participants, Armenia, 2021.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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