Some epidemiological aspects of acute hepatitis C

Objective. To analyze the incidence of acute hepatitis C (AHC) in the population of one of the typical megalopolises and their adjacent region in the period 1995-2015 and possible medium-term prognosis. Materials and methods. The official statistics on the incidence of AHC in Nizhny Novgorod and the Nizhny Novgorod Region was analyzed by comparison with that in the Russian Federation as a whole over the period 1995-2015. The paper gives the intensive and extensive morbidity rates in the adult population and children under 14 years of age. Results. The incidence rates of AHC in Nizhny Novgorod and the Nizhny Novgorod Region were 2.5-3.0 times lower than those in the Russian Federation, but had the same trends. The AHC incidence rate was progressively increased in 1995-2000. There were its ups and downs in 2001-2010. Overall, the incidence rates in the city and its region decreased by almost 14 times, these in the Russian Federation reduced by 10 times, amounting to 1.3 and 2.1 per 100,000population, respectively. In 2011-2015, there was no obvious continuous decrease in the incidence of AHC and its prognosis is uncertain. There may be a higher proportion of AHC in the structure of hepatitis morbidity. The incidence of AHC in children under 14 years of age was similar to that among the adult population, but its medium- term growth cannot be excluded. There was an adverse tendency to increase the proportion of children less than 14 years of age in the structure of AHC cases. Conclusion. This epidemiological study of the incidence of AHC suggests that there is significant progress in the organization of preventive care for the adult and pediatric populations of the Russian Federation; nevertheless, it causes some suspicion in the medium-term prediction of the situation, especially among the children.

acute hepatitis C, incidence, children, prognosis, interferon-a