Previous Exposure to HCV Among Persons Born During 1945-1965: Prevalence and Predictors, United States, 1999-2008.

HEPATITIS C risk factors; LIVER diseases; IMMUNOGLOBULIN analysis; BABY boom generation; AGE distribution; BLACK people; COMPARATIVE studies; CONFIDENCE intervals; ALCOHOL drinking; EPIDEMIOLOGY; INCOME; LONGITUDINAL method; MEDICAL screening; DATA analysis; SECONDARY analysis; INTRAVENOUS drug abusers; PREDICTIVE validity; DISEASE prevalence; DESCRIPTIVE statistics; DISEASE risk factors

Objectives. We examined HCV exposure prevalence and predictors among persons in the United States born during 1945-1965. Methods. With data from the 1999-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, we calculated the proportion of persons born during 1945-1965 who tested positive for HCV antibody (anti-HCV) and analyzed the prevalence by sociodemographic and behavioral risk factors. Results. Anti-HCV prevalence in the 1945-1965 birth cohort was 3.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.8%, 3.8%), substantially higher than among other adults (0.9%). Within the cohort, anti-HCV prevalence was higher among non- Hispanic Blacks (6.4%; 95% CI = 5.3%, 7.7%), persons with injection drug use histories (56.8%; 95% CI = 48.4%, 64.8%), and persons with elevated alanine aminotransferase levels (12.7%; 95% CI = 10.7%, 15.1%). Injection drug use (adjusted odds ratio = 98.4; 95% CI = 58.8, 164.5) was the strongest anti-HCV prevalence predictor. Among anti-HCV-positive persons, 57.8% reported having 2 or more alcoholic drinks daily. Conclusions. With the high prevalence of HCV among persons born during 1945-1965, the increasing morbidity and mortality associated with HCV, and reductions in liver cancer and HCV-related mortality when HCV is eradicated, it is critically important to identify persons with HCV and link them to appropriate care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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