Objectives: The aim of this prospective study was to estimate the prevalence of subjects with serum anti-HCV antibodies in a University Hospital in the Paris area, and to identify the risk factors associated with contamination.
Methods: Over an 18 month period, each person working in the hospital was systematically requested to fill out an anonymous questionnaire including 23 questions and to undergo a blood test for an anti-HCV assay during their annual medical visit.
Results: 557 (33%) of 1693 employees accepted to fill out the questionnaire and the anti-HCV assay. Serum anti-HCV antibodies were present in 9 subjects, which represents a prevalence of 1.6%, and serum RNA was positive by PCR, m 7. The prevalence was significantly higher in subjects working in clinical units (3.0%) compared to subjects working in non-clinical units (0.7%: P = 0.04) and in subjects with a history of acute hepatitis (5.5% vs 0.9%; P = 0.002%) Anti-HCV-positive subjects had more history of manipulating blood products than HCV-negative subjects (17.0 vs 8.8 years of exposure; P = 0.01), other human samples (17.0 vs 7.6 years; P = 0.01), and of having at risk contacts (16.7 vs 6.2 years; P = 0.0004).
Conclusion: These results suggest the importance of systematic anti-HCV screening among health care workers particularly those in contact with patients.