Prevalence of anti-hepatitis C virus antibodies among patients hospitalized in a medical unit

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Abstract
Background: Most cases of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are not associated with blood transfusion, and only 50% of the patients have a history of exposure to blood. The role of inapparent sources of infection has yet to be established. Few data exist concerning the prevalence of anti-HCV antibodies among hospitalized patients. Objective: To assess the prevalence of anti-HCV antibodies in a group of 728 consecutive inpatients admitted to a medical unit, and to ascertain whether hospitalization represents a potential risk factor for HCV transmission. Results: Of the patients, 73.3% with and 4.6% without chronic liver disease were found to be anti-HCV-positive. The rate of previous hospital admissions did not differ between anti-HCV-positive and -negative patients. Conclusions: Anti-HCV antibody prevalence among patients admitted to medical units is higher than in the general population; however, hospitalization alone does not seem to place a patient at risk of acquiring HCV infection. Diagnostic procedures, rather than the hospital stay, should be regarded as potential sources of parenteral infection.

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