Epidemiological features of chronic hepatitis C in servicemen of the national guard in the Ural federal district

Abstract

Introduction. Despite advances in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C (CHC), its incidence remains high and remains a serious problem for national health systems. The aim of the study was to conduct a comparative assessment of epidemiological features of CHC among servicepersons of the Federal Guard Service of the Urals Federal District (UFD). Materials and methods. To achieve this goal, we studied epidemiological investigation charts of viral hepatitis C cases in 102 female and 203 male servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces who were treated in the infectious disease department of FGKUZ "5 VCG of the Russian Armed Forces" in 2014–2021. Results. Epidemiological peculiarities that differ from the information presented in the modern medical literature describing the epidemic process of CHC in the Russian Federation have been revealed among servicemen of the Rosgvardia of the Ural region, both men and women. Discussion. A study of the epidemiological anamnesis of servicemen in the Urals Federal District revealed data that differ from the literature data describing the routes of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in the Russian Federation. Almost 50 % of the patients could not establish the route of HCV infection. The predominance of the sexual route of infection in women (20.6 %) with CHC was detected, while in men the first place was tattooing (38.4 %). Only 1.5 % of men with CHC, according to our data, were infected while injecting drugs. No women with CHC infected by this route were found, while in the Russian Federation as a whole, injecting drug users are close to 10 %. Conclusion. Due to the particularities of troop recruitment, there are peculiarities of the epidemic process that characterize the course of viral hepatitis. If it is possible to establish the route of infection, there are few cases of HCV infection through injecting drug use, the primary route of infection is sexual in women and infection during tattooing in men.