Hepatitis C virus (HCV): prevalence in a gynecological urgent care clinic population.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) among women seeking urgent gynecological care.


METHODS
Women were asked to complete a short self-assessment screening of HCV risk. Those answering yes to any of the screening questions were offered HCV testing and were asked to complete a more detailed questionnaire.


RESULTS
Among the 125 women who completed the screening questionnaire, 80% (100) answered yes to one or more of the screening questions. Of the 99 women who underwent testing, six (6.1%) were HCV seropositive; a history of injection drug use was the only finding associated with HCV seropositivity (R.R 9.7: 95% CI 1.90-49.40).


CONCLUSIONS
Women seeking urgent outpatient gynecological care, particularly those who are injection drug users, are at a substantial risk of HCV infection. A careful risk assessment should be completed in order to identify women who should be offered HCV testing.
Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Emory University School of Medicine, USA.
J
J
Adusumalli
E A
EA
Bonney
L
L
Odenat
D J
DJ
Jamieson
D000328:Adult; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005845:Georgia / Q000453:epidemiology; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012647:Self-Assessment; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires