EPIDEMIOLOGICAL DYNAMICS AND CLINICAL-DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF HEPATITIS C IN A POPULATION FROM SOUTHERN ROMANIA: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY (2021–2024)

Abstract

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains a major public health challenge. This retrospective study evaluated the seroprevalence of anti-HCV antibodies in a sample of 5346 patients tested in Alexandria (Teleorman County) between 2021 and 2024 using laboratory
enzyme immunoassays. The overall seropositivity rate was 1.53 % (82 cases), with no significant differences between females and males (1,70 % vs. 1,11%, p = 0,1417; OR = 1,54). Age distribution indicated a zero prevalence in the 18–34 age group (0.00 %) and a peak
value of 3.70 % in the ≥65 age group (p = 2,75 × 10-14), confirming the persistence of a cohort effect. Temporal dynamics demonstrated a stable annual rate (1.89% in 2021, 1.40 % in 2022, 1.55 % in 2023, and 1.59 % in 2024, p = 0.9262), highlighting the need for continued
population screening campaigns and sustained access to DAA therapies.