How are HCV-infected patients being identified in Brazil: a multicenter study
Braz. j. infect. dis
;
23(1): 34-39, Jan.-Feb. 2019. tab, graf
Artigo
em Inglês
| LILACS
| ID: biblio-1001496
ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT Background:
Hepatitis C is an important health problem. In Brazil, 1-2 million people are infected. Despite this expressive number, and the availability of very successful treatment, many patients remained undiagnosed mainly because of the asymptomatic nature of the infection.Objectives:
To describe epidemiological characteristics of HCV-infected patients seen at referral centers in Brazil, the source of referral, and the time spanned to reach a reference center, in order to improve the identification of undiagnosed patients.Methods:
Multicenter observational, cross-sectional study carried out in 15 centers of Brazil, between January/2016 and June/2017. Data of patients with a confirmed diagnosis (anti-HCV and HCV-RNA) were collected by interview using standard questionnaires and by review of charts.Results:
Two thousand patients were included; 55.1% were male, mean age 58 ± 11 years. Only 14.9% had higher education and 84.2% received up to five monthly minimum Brazilian wages (approximately US$260.00/month). The time between diagnosis and beginning of follow-up was 22.9 months. The most common reasons for testing were check-up (33.2%) and blood donation (19%). General practitioners diagnosed most of the patients (30.1%). Fibrosis stage was mainly evaluated by liver biopsy (61.5%) and 31.3% of the patients were cirrhotic at diagnosis.Conclusions:
This multicenter Brazilian study showed that the mean time to reach a referral center for treatment was almost two years. Primary care physicians diagnoses most hepatitis C cases in the country. Population campaigns and medical education should be encouraged to intensify screening of asymptomatic individuals, considering the efficiency of check-ups in identifying new patients.
Texto completo:
DisponíveL
Índice:
LILACS (Américas)
Assunto principal:
Hepatite C Crônica
Tipo de estudo:
Ensaio Clínico Controlado
/
Estudo observacional
/
Estudo de prevalência
/
Estudo prognóstico
/
Fatores de risco
Limite:
Idoso
/
Feminino
/
Humanos
/
Masculino
País/Região como assunto:
América do Sul
/
Brasil
Idioma:
Inglês
Revista:
Braz. j. infect. dis
Assunto da revista:
Doenças Transmissíveis
Ano de publicação:
2019
Tipo de documento:
Artigo
País de afiliação:
Brasil
Instituição/País de afiliação:
Federal University of Rio de Janeiro/BR
/
Hospital São Rafael - Monte Tabor/BR
/
Prefeitura Municipal de Curitiba/BR
/
Universidade Estadual de Campinas/BR
/
Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul/BR
/
Universidade Federal de Pernambuco/BR
/
Universidade Federal de São Paulo/BR
/
Universidade Federal do Ceará/BR
/
Universidade Federal do Maranhão/BR
/
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul/BR
Similares
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS