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Risk factors associated with hepatitis C virus infection in Taiwanese government employees

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 May 2001

H. C. CHANG ,
M. W. YU ,
C. F. LU ,
Y. H. CHIU  and
C. J. CHEN
H. C. CHANG
Affiliation:
Graduate Institute of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
M. W. YU
Affiliation:
Graduate Institute of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
C. F. LU
Affiliation:
Center for Disease Control, Department of Health, Executive Yuan, Taipei, Taiwan
Y. H. CHIU
Affiliation:
Graduate Institute of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
C. J. CHEN
Affiliation:
Graduate Institute of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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Abstract

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This study evaluated the roles of multiple factors in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, with emphasis on the modification of various individual characteristics on the risk associated with percutaneous exposure to blood. Serum samples taken from 4869 men in Taiwan within a cohort study were tested for HCV antibody. The overall positive rate of anti-HCV was 1·6 %. In a logistic regression, factors positively associated with anti-HCV positivity were previous blood transfusion (odds ratio [OR] = 7·28; 95 % confidence interval [CI] = 4·26–12·45), a history of surgery (OR = 2·06; 95 % CI = 1·23–3·46), and lower educational levels (OR = 1·94; 95 % CI = 1·14–3·32). The anti-HCV positive rate was significantly lower in hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carriers than in non-carriers (OR = 0·60; 95 % CI = 0·37–0·95). Ageing, lower educational levels, O blood group, and Taiwanese ethnicity enhanced the likelihood of HCV infection through blood transfusion/surgery, whereas HBsAg status, cigarette smoking, and habitual alcohol drinking reduced it.

Type
Research Article
Information
Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 126 , Issue 2 , April 2001 , pp. 291 - 299
Copyright
© 2001 Cambridge University Press