Prevalence and risk factors for hepatitis C infection in rural north Vietnam.
BACKGROUND
In Vietnam, the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among injecting drug users and patients with liver disease is known to be high, yet the magnitude of HCV in the general population, particularly in rural areas, has not been clearly estimated. A community-based study was used to determine the prevalence of HCV infection in a rural population of north Vietnam and explore risk factors associated with HCV acquisition.


METHODS
A community-based viral hepatitis seroprevalence study using a multistage sampling method to recruit participants was undertaken. The study population size (n = 837) had been determined on the basis of estimated hepatitis B virus (HBV) prevalence. Information on demography and potential risk factors were obtained using face-to-face interviews, and all selected participants were tested for anti-HCV antibody.


RESULTS
HCV prevalence in the study population was 1.0% (95% CI: 0.4%-1.9%). Hospital admission (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 7.19; 95% CI: 1.59-32.53; P = .01) and having tattoos (AOR: 13.37: 95% CI: 1.86-96.15; P = .01) were independent predictors of HCV infection, and farmers were less likely to have HCV infection than those in other occupations (AOR: 0.19; 95% CI: 0.04-0.84; P = .02).


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of HCV infection is low in the general rural population in northern Vietnam. An association between HCV infection and hospital admission and tattoos indicate a need to improve the standards of infection control in healthcare and other settings in this region.
Nguyen
Van Thi Thuy
VT
School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, v.nguyen@unsw.edu.au.
McLaws
Mary-Louise
ML
Dore
Gregory J
GJ