title: Prevalence and factors associated with HCV infection among elderly individuals in a southern Brazilian city.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Few Latin American studies have assessed the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in elderly individuals, in whom the highest rates are expected. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of and factors associated with HCV infection in elderly residents in the municipality of Tubarão, Santa Catarina.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study included 820 individuals (aged ≥ 60 years) who were selected by simple random sampling. The presence of anti-HCV antibodies was tested by chemiluminescence, and HCV RNA detection was performed for the anti-HCV-reactive subjects. Those individuals who were anti-HCV reactive but had undetectable HCV RNA levels were tested using a third-generation recombinant immunoblot assay. The variables were compared using the chi-squared test or Fisher's exact test, and those variables with p < 0.05 were included in the logistic regression model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean patient age was 68.6 years (SD 7.0 years); 39% were men, and 92% were Caucasian. Eighteen subjects were anti-HCV positive. Among these individuals, 4 were characterized as false-positives, leaving 14 (1.7%) individuals with confirmed infections for analysis. HCV infection was associated with an age older than 65 years, households with 3 or more residents and the previous transfusion of blood products. In the logistic regression analysis, the following variables were independently associated with HCV infection: households with 3 or more residents (OR 7.9, 95% CI 1.7-35.9, p = 0.008) and previous blood transfusion (OR 6.2, 95% CI 2.1-18.6, p = 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The HCV prevalence in the elderly population in the municipality of Tubarão was higher than that found in previous studies of blood donors in the same region. Although exposure to contaminated blood products remained important, other transmission routes, such as household transmission, could play a role in HCV infection.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina, Tubarão, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Tatiana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: Danúbia Felippe Grassi de Paula
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.forename: Fabiana
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schuelter-Trevisol
authors.forename: Daisson José
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Trevisol
authors.forename: Roger Augusto
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Vieira e Silva
authors.forename: Janaína Luz
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Narciso-Schiavon
authors.forename: Leonardo de Lucca
authors.initials: Lde L
authors.lastname: Schiavon
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002947:Cities / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D049449:Luminescence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
chemical_list: D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D012367:RNA, Viral