Acute viral hepatitis A, B and Non-A, Non-B in Stockholm in the 1950s and 1970s: A comparison

The epidemiology of hepatitis C virus infection in Sweden

“…This is consistent with the theory that the spread of HCV in Sweden started with the introduction of IDU in the mid 1960s, with an increase in the 1970s when IDU became more common, mostly among young people, i.e. those born in the 1950s [9]. According to the Swedish report to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA, http://www.emcdda.europa.eu), the prevalence of illegal drug use then declined in the 1980s but has increased again in the late 1990s, and so has the number of direct drug related deaths.…”

“…In Sweden, non-A non-B (NANB) hepatitis (the majority being hepatitis C) existed but was rare in the 1950s -injecting drug users (IDUs) being also very rare in Sweden at that time. NANB hepatitis became more prevalent in the 1970s as a result of the increase of IDUs during the 1960s and 1970s [9]. In a Swedish study, analyses of stored frozen serum samples from patients with acute hepatitis in 1969-1972 revealed that 52% of the intravenous drug users in the study were anti-HCV positive at that time [10].…”

Non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma and other nonhepatic malignancies in Swedish patients with hepatitis C virus infection†

“…Non-A/ non-B hepatitis (most cases of which were probably hepatitis C) existed in Sweden as early as the 1950s but became more common after IVDU became prevalent in the mid-1960s, and it has become an increasing problem. 21 In a study from Southern Sweden, stored frozen serum samples from patients with acute hepatitis between 1969 and 1972 were analyzed retrospectively, and among the intravenous drug users, 52% were positive for HCV antibodies. 26 In the 1990s, it was found that more than 90% of Swedish injection drug users were anti-HCV- *The expected number of cases was calculated using age, sex, and calendar year-specific incidence rates from the Swedish Cancer Registry.…”

“…For persons infected through intravenous drug use (IVDU), the model was based on available data on the Swedish intravenous drug epidemic, the demography of the patients, and the results of previous seroprevalence studies. 21,[26][27][28][29] We used the same model for persons infected via IVDU or sexual, unknown, or "other" estimated routes of transmission. Persons born before 1930 were considered to have been infected in 1965; persons born in 1930 were considered to have been infected at the age of 35 years, linearly falling to the age of 20 years when born in 1955; and persons born in 1955 or later were considered to have been infected at the age of 20 years.…”

“…20 The majority of Swedish HCV patients are born after 1950, indicating that the large-scale spread of HCV started in the late 1960s and 1970s. 21 We may now be seeing an increasing number of patients with complications due to long-lasting HCV infection.…”