ABSTRACT
Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and associated risk factors in patients with inflammatory bowel disease followed at the University Hospital Clementino Fraga Filho, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (HUCFF-UFRJ). Methods: A total of 146 patients were studied, 58 with Crohn's disease and 88 with ulcerative colitis, with a mean age of 40 years. The results were correlated with the following variables: time elapsed since diagnosis, endoscopic exams, surgeries, use of intravenous drugs, blood transfusion and immunosuppressor therapy. Results: The prevalence of anti-HCV was 4,8por cento(7/146). Both univariate and multivariate analysis showed blood transfusion as the only risk factor significantly associated with HCV infection (rr= 5.71; 95por cento confidence interval: 1.04-10.37; p= 0.023). Conclusion: The prevalence of HCV infection in patients with inflammatory bowel disease was higher thanthat observed among blood donors of the same region and the only risk factor associated with this infection was blood transfusion