Naslov
Prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Infection in Croatian Seamen

Autori
Mulić, Rosanda ; Muslim, Ana ; Lončar, Andro

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
9th InternationalSymposium on Maritime Health. Abstracts / Per Sabro Nielsen - Esbjerg : International Maritime Health Organization, 2007

Skup
9th International Symposium on Maritime Health

Mjesto i datum
Esbjerg, Danska, 03.06.2007. - 06.06.2007

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
Hepatitis C; Seamen; Croatia

Sažetak
Background: Estimated prevalence of HCV infection in the Croatian general population is around 1.7%. The highest incidence is found in the 20-40 age groups at a high risk of infection by the use of drug injection. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of HCV infection among Croatian seamen. The hypothesis was that seamen are a high risk group for acquisition and transmission of HCV infection because of their profession, which is connected to various health risks. In available biomedical bibliography (MEDLINE), no information of research of the kind in Croatia has been found, nor is there any official data on the prevalence of HCV infection in Croatian seamen. Methods: The study, conducted during the period between June and September 2006, was performed by examining medical record cards found in one general practice surgery in the area of Split, which has some 1400 patients registered. 270 medical record cards of seamen were singled out and, out of these, we singled out another set of records of seamen who were tested for HCV or were HCV infected. Results: Data on laboratory tests for HCV infection was found in 37 of the total number of medical records examined (270). No data on possible HCV infection could be found for 233 seamen (86.3%) because their medical records contained no data on whether they had ever been tested for HCV. The test results of 25 seamen (67.6%) were found to be negative for HCV. HCV infection markers were found in 12 seamen (4.4% of the total number). Most of the diseased seamen (8 ; 67%) were between 35 and 39 years of age. The time when seamen contracted the HCV infection could not be determined. HCV genotype 3a was found in eight(67%) infected seamen, which indicates possible contamination via intravenous drug-taking. In three of the infected seamen, HCV genotype could not be determined based on information provided by available medical records. Only one seaman (8%) had genotype 1b, suggesting contamination by blood transfusion. The prevalence of HCV infection in Croatian seamen is 2.5 times greater than in the rest of the population. Conclusions: Since the sample contained only a small part of the entire population of Croatian seamen (0.8% ; 270 of 32, 000 seamen), there is a need for additional research which would confirm or reject the hypothesis that seamen are a high-risk group for HCV infection.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Javno zdravstvo i zdravstvena zaštita

POVEZANOST RADA