title: Risk factors associated with hepatitis C virus infection in Taiwanese government employees.
abstract: This study evaluated the roles of multiple factors in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, with emphasis on the modification of various individual characteristics on the risk associated with percutaneous exposure to blood. Serum samples taken from 4869 men in Taiwan within a cohort study were tested for HCV antibody. The overall positive rate of anti-HCV was 1.6%. In a logistic regression, factors positively associated with anti-HCV positivity were previous blood transfusion (odds ratio [OR] = 7.28: 95% confidence interval [CI] = 4.26-12.45), a history of surgery (OR = 2.06: 95% CI = 1 23-3.46), and lower educational levels (OR = 1.94; 95% CI = 1.14-3.32). The anti-HCV positive rate was significantly lower in hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carriers than in non-carriers (OR = 0.60; 95% CI = 0.37-0.95). Ageing, lower educational levels, O blood group, and Taiwanese ethnicity enhanced the likelihood of HCV infection through blood transfusion/surgery, whereasHBsAg status, cigarette smoking, and habitual alcohol drinking reduced it.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei.
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Y H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004522:Educational Status; D006076:Government; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000209:etiology*; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D013624:Taiwan; D065227:Transfusion Reaction
chemical_list: D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies