RESUMO
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major global health concern, particularly in Egypt, due to historic schistosomiasis control efforts that inadvertently led to widespread HCV transmission. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Egypt's national strategies in controlling and reducing the prevalence of HCV, including introducing sofosbuvir and implementing the "100 Million Healthy Lives" campaign. The approach includes a review of epidemiological data, an analysis of the national HCV control strategies implemented, and an assessment of their outcomes, focusing on the period from 2006 to 2022. Significant milestones were achieved, including a drastic reduction in new HCV infections from 300 per 100,000 in 2014 to 9 per 100,000 in 2022 and successful treatment of over 4 million people. Egypt has become the first country in the world to achieve the "gold tier" status based on World Health Organization criteria on the path to eradication of HCV. Egypt's comprehensive approach can serve as a model for similar endemic regions. Other nations with high HCV prevalence might benefit from adopting similar multidimensional strategies, emphasizing prevention and treatment.
RESUMO
Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) viremia has been known to provoke a plethora of autoimmune syndromes referred to as extrahepatic manifestations of chronic HCV infection. Aim of the current study was to assess the prevalence of rheumatologic manifestations among Egyptians with hepatitis C infection and its' association with cryoglobulin profile. The current research represents a cross-sectional study where patients with chronic HCV infection attending the outpatient clinic of the National Hepatology and Tropical Medicine Research Institute over a period of 1 year were interviewed. Patients with decompensated liver disease, on interferon therapy, having end-stage renal disease or coexisting viral infection like hepatitis B surface antibody positive patients were all excluded from the research. Laboratory investigations as well as serological assay including cryoglobulin profile, rheumatoid factor, antinuclear antibody, HCV-PCR were performed. Three hundred and six patients having chronic HCV infection were interviewed in this research. The overall estimated prevalence of rheumatologic manifestations in the current research was 16.39%, chronic fatigue syndrome 9.5%, sicca symptoms 8.8%, arthralgia 6.5%, fibromyalgia 1.9%, myalgia 1.3%, arthritis 0.7%, cryoglobulinemic vasculitis 0.7%, autoimmune hemolytic anemia 0.7%, thrombocytopenia 0.7%. Xerophthalmia was significantly present in male population (p = 0.04), whereas fibromyalgia, cryoglobulinemic vasculitis, arthritis, and autoimmune hemolytic anemia were significantly present in female population under study (p < 0.05). In chronic HCV genotype 4 infection, the prevalence of rheumatologic manifestations was 16.3% with chronic fatigue syndrome and sicca symptoms being the most common with no significant correlation to the degree of elevation of liver disease or viral load.