Comparison and analysis of the prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection by region in the Republic of Korea during 2005-2012

• Published in: Clinical and Molecular Hepatology Vol. 21; no. 3; pp. 249 - 256
• Main Authors: Shon, Hae-Sook, Choi, Hwa Young, Kim, Jang Rak, Ryu, So Yeon, Lee, Youn-Jae, Lee, Myeong Jin, Min, Hyun Ju, Lee, Jun, Song, Yeong Jun, Ki, Moran
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) The Korean Association for the Study of the Liver 01.09.2015; Korean Association for the Study of the Liver; 대한간학회
• Subjects: Adult; Age; Age Factors; Aged; Databases, Factual; Diseases of the digestive system. Gastroenterology; Female; Geographic information systems; Health facilities; Hepatitis B; Hepatitis C; Hepatitis C - diagnosis; Hepatitis C - epidemiology; Hepatitis C virus; Humans; Infections; Male; Middle Aged; National health insurance; Original; Original Article; Patients; Prevalence; RC799-869; Republic of Korea; Republic of Korea - epidemiology; Retrospective Studies; Sex Factors; Trends; Vaccines; Womens health; Young Adult; 내과학; Republic of Korea; South Korea; Adult; Prevalence; Hepatitis C virus; Republic of Korea; Geographic information systems
• ISSN: 2287-2728; 2287-285X; 2287-285X
• DOI: 10.3350/cmh.2015.21.3.249

This study compared the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in the Republic of Korea and estimated the high-risk regions and towns. National Health Insurance Service data for 8 years from 2005 to 2012 were used. The subjects of the study had visited medical facilities and been diagnosed with or received treatment for acute or chronic HCV as a primary or secondary disease according to ICD-10 codes of B17.1 or B18.2, respectively. Any patient who received treatment for the same disease multiple times during 1 year was counted as one patient in that year. To correct for the effect of the age structure of the population by year and region, the age-adjusted prevalence was calculated using the direct method based on the registered population in 2010. The overall prevalence of HCV infection among Korean adults (>20 years old) increased from 0.14% in 2005 to 0.18% in 2012. The sex-, age-, and region-adjusted prevalence in 2012 was 0.18%. The prevalence was highest in Busan, Jeonnam, and Gyeongnam, and there were towns with noticeably higher prevalences within these regions: Jindo (0.97%) in Jeonnam, Namhae (0.90%) in Gyeongnam, and Seo-gu (0.86%) in Busan. The prevalence of HCV infection differs by regions as well as towns in the Republic of Korea, and is highest in Busan, Jeonnam, and Gyeongnam. The reasons for the high prevalence in these specific regions should be identified, since this could help prevent HCV infections in the future. In addition, active surveillance and treatment policies should be introduced to stop any further spread of infection in these high-prevalence regions.