An estimated 2.7 million people Americans are chronically infected with the hepatitis C virus, which makes HCV the most common chronic bloodborne infection in the United States.
Hepatitis C commonly leads to the need for a liver transplant.
The estimate of the seroprevalence of HCV is the result of a study by Miriam J. Alter, PhD, and colleagues at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that was published on August 19 in The New England Journal of Medicine (1999;341:556-562).
The authors said that about 3.9 million Americans have antibodies to HCV and that 2.7 million of the group are chronically infected. The authors made the estimate after testing for antibody to HCV on serum samples from 21,241 people who participated in the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which was conducted from 1988 to 1994.
Among the subgroup of participants who were 17 to 59 years old, the strongest factors independently associated with infection were illegal drug use and high-risk sexual behavior. Other factors associated with infection were poverty, fewer than 13 years of education, and having been divorced or separated.
The authors indicated that their estimate of HCV prevalance might be conservative. The study excluded people who were jailed or homeless — two groups that have high rates of HCV infection.
To prevent new infections, the authors suggested that "public health programs should focus on preventing the initiation of high-risk drug-related and sexual behavior and on providing risk-reduction counseling and services to those engaged in high-risk activities."
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