title: Strategies for the detection of hepatitis C viral infection in the general population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate which of the three studied strategies is the most effective to detect new cases of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections in primary care.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is an observational, prospective, and multicentre study evaluating three strategies. Strategy 1: provide an explanatory letter to adults assigned to two primary care teams (PCTs), inviting them to have a blood test. Strategy 2: place posters and leaflets in PCTs advertising the possibility of laboratory tests. Strategy 3: reexamine HCV antibody test results in patients with hypertransaminasemia diagnosed within the last two years through electronic records, and determine anti-HCV status in undiagnosed cases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were a total 598 participants (51% female with an average age of 50.6 ± 13 years). There were 238 people (4.1% of letters sent) in Strategy 1, 69 people (0.3% of potential participation) in Strategy 2, and 291 people (100% participation) from Strategy 3. One new case of HCV was found in both Strategy 1 and Strategy 2, representing a prevalence of 0.4 and 1.4%, respectively. Two new cases of HCV were found in Strategy 3, representing a prevalence of 0.7%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The three studied strategies for detecting new cases of HCV infection are ineffective, especially in regards to their cost and effort.
authors.affiliation: Unitat de Suport a la Recerca Metropolitana Nord, Institut Universitari d'Investigació en Atenció Primària (IDIAP) Jordi Gol, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Barcelona, España; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Barcelona, España. Electronic address: lcaballeria.bnm.ics@gencat.cat.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Caballería
authors.affiliation: Unitat de Suport a la Recerca Metropolitana Nord, Institut Universitari d'Investigació en Atenció Primària (IDIAP) Jordi Gol, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Barcelona, España; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pera
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Barcelona, España; Centre d'Atenció Primària Vilassar de Mar, Direcció d'Atenció Primària Metropolitana Nord, Institut Català de la Salut, Vilassar de Mar, Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bernad
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Barcelona, España; Centre d'Atenció Primària Vilassar de Mar, Direcció d'Atenció Primària Metropolitana Nord, Institut Català de la Salut, Vilassar de Mar, Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Canut
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Atenció Primària Cassà de la Selva, Institut d'Assistència Sanitària de Girona, Cassà de la Selva, Girona, España.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Navarro
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Hepatología, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bruguera
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012698:Serologic Tests / Q000379:methods*; D000637:Transaminases / Q000097:blood*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000637:Transaminases
keywords: Atención Primaria de Salud; Hepatitis C; Primary Health Care; Serology; Serología; Transaminasas; Transaminases