Hepatitis C in Brazilian Carcerary Micropopulation
Journal Title: Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research (BJSTR) - Year 2019, Vol 18, Issue 4
Abstract
As viral hepatitis is caused by too many etiological agents of universal distribution, having knowledge of scientific production on the prevalence of hepatitis C and its associated risks in prisons is of paramount importance. Here, the authors propose an integrative review carried out in the SciELO, LILACS, Google Academic and UpToDate databases on Brazilian works published between 2007 and 2017. Ten studies were selected, predominantly cross-sectional ones, which among them the prevalence of hepatitis C varied, ranging from 0.0% to 16.2% of seropositivity of anti-HCV. Because hepatitis C is a chronic disease with a practically asymptomatic course, it is considered a serious public health problem (responsible for worldwide many causes of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma) and requires efforts from government to diagnose, treat and prevent the disease, not only in relation to HCV itself, but also regarding to others sexually transmitted infections at various prisons in the country.Viral hepatitis is a disease caused by several etiological agents of universal distribution, which have the hepatotropism in common. They have many similarities from clinical and laboratorial point of view, but they present important epidemiological differences as well as their evolution in each one. Among the most significant progresses in viral hepatitis are the identification of the agents, the development of specific laboratory tests, the screening of infected individuals, and the emergence of protective vaccines [1]. They are considered a worldwide leading cause of liver diseases such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Clinical follow-up lower than that required for conclusive diagnosis of infection may reflect disease progression, with hepatomegaly as the initial stage of progression of liver disease, evaluating to more severe degrees such as liver cirrhosis, esophageal varices, hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatic encephalopathy [2]. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) belongs to the family Flaviridae, genus Hepacivirus, and its genome consists of a single strand of RNA of positive polarity. There is a great variety in the genomic sequence of the virus and its different genotypes were grouped into six main groups and several subtypes [1]. Currently, it is estimated that approximately 2.2 to 3.0% of the world’s population (130-170 million people) are infected with HCV [3].Identified only in 1989, HCV nowadays represents one of the most relevant public health problems (Passos, 2006). In Brazil, a total of 587,821 confirmed cases of viral hepatitis have been reported in the Information Heath System (SINAN) between 1999 and 2017, from which 200,839 (34.2%) were hepatitis C. The proportional distribution of cases varies among the five Brazilian regions, being 63.2% in the Southeast, 25.2% in the South, 5.9% in the Northeast, 3.2% in the Central West and 2.5% in the North. In 2017, the detection rate in the South region was the highest, with 24.3 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants, followed by the Southeast (15.6), North (6.3), and Central West (5.9). According to an epidemiological bulletin published in 2018 by the Department of Surveillance, Prevention and Control of Sexually Transmitted Infections, HIV/AIDS and Viral Hepatitis, from the Secretariat of Health Surveillance of the Ministry of Health (DIAHV/SVS/ MS), hepatitis C accounts for the majority of deaths due to viral hepatitis in Brazil, and represents the third largest cause of liver transplantation [4].
Authors and Affiliations
Igor Thiago Queiroz, Diego Cabral, Sara Couras
Keywords
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- EP ID EP621920
- DOI 10.26717/BJSTR.2019.18.003185
- Views 160
- Downloads 0
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