Seroprevalence of markers of hepatitis C virus exposure and associated factors in adults aged 18-39 years in the Arctic Russian city of Arkhangelsk: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Hepatitis C, caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV), is a major public health issue in Russia. The aim of our study was to assess the seroprevalence of markers of HCV exposure and factors associated with HCV seropositivity among the general population aged 18-39 years in the city of Arkhangelsk, Northwest Russia. A social research agency applied a quota sampling method to recruit study participants using cell phone numbers. All participants (n = 1243) completed a self-administered questionnaire and provided a blood sample. Sixty-five participants (5.2%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.9-5.5) tested positive for HCV IgM+G antibodies, and of these, 55 (84.6%) did not know that they were exposed to HCV. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, HCV seropositivity was significantly associated with older age, a history of injecting drug use, and having ever received a blood transfusion. To reach the goal of the World Health Organisation's Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis, regional preventive programmes should include measures to reduce injecting drug use as well as scaling up harm-reduction and treatment programs for drug addicts.

Prevalence of resistance-associated substitutions and phylogenetic analysis of hepatitis C virus infection in Russia

“…HCV infection is a major health concern in Russia, with more than 4.7 million people infected (3.3% of the Russian population) ( Pradat et al, 2018 ). Russia has the sixth highest HCV prevalence in the world ( Cooke et al, 2019 ), and about 60% of chronic HCV cases are diagnosed in people 20-39 years old ( Balaeva et al, 2019 ). Based on a line probe assay (LiPA) that can resolve HCV genotypes (GT) and subtypes GT1a and GT1b, the predominant HCV genotypes in Russia are GT1b (52.8%), GT2 (8%), and GT3 (36.3%) ( Isakov et al, 2016 ;Kartashev et al, 2016 ;Polaris Observatory, 2017 ).…”

Association of Herpes Simplex Virusis (Type 1 and 2) and Bacterial Sexually Transmitted Infections

“…хворих на генітальний герпес. У Росії загальне число пацієнтів із хронічними шкірними і генітальними формами захворювання, офтальмогерпесом і герпетичним стоматитом натепер наближається до 20 млн осіб, а саме на генітальний герпес страждають близько 8 млн пацієнтів, з них 10% жінок і 15% чоловіків [9,12,28,30].…”