Hepatitis C risk factors prevalence and screening in various populations of Reunion Island ; Prévalence des facteurs de risque d’hépatite C dans différentes populations de l’île de la Réunion et recours au dépistage

Introduction : Eliminating hepatitis C virus is a national goal in France. This requires to find undiagnosed cases. The French Association for Liver Study suggests a once in a lifetime generalized screening whereas the national health authority recommends a targeted screening on risk factors. Evidence of a high prevalence of hepatitis C risk factors in the population or in some of its subgroups could help lift some of the barriers to screening. To our knowledge no data has been collected on this subject in Reunion Island.Method : A questionnaire was submitted to inhabitants of Reunion Island in the following situations : patients attending consultations with their general practicioner (one practice in a rural area and one in an urban area), patients attending an anaesthesic consultation in a private clinic, patients attending a gastroenterology consultation and people met at the free and anonymous screening center of Saint-Paul hospital. Random people met at bus stations in Saint-Denis and Saint-Paul during public awareness days were also included. The following risk factors were sought : history of blood transfusion prior to 1992, surgery, endoscopy with biopsies, acupuncture, mesotherapy, all prior to 1997, medical care received in countries at risk, intravenous or per-nasal drug use, tattoos and body piercing, incarceration, risky sexual intercourse, family circle at risk. The anonymous questionnaire collected the following socio-demographic data : gender, year and country of birth. The objective was to analyse the prevalence of hepatitis C risk factors.Results : 22 of the 750 questionnaires collected were incomplete. The people who completed the 728 questionnaires selected for analysis had the following characteristics : 423 women and 305 men, 286 were under 40 years old, 267 between 40 and 60, 151 over 60 (the year of birth not indicated on 24 questionnaires). 76% had at least one risk factor for hepatitis C. Women were more at risk (79%). This prevalence reached 80% in people over 60, without ...