Abstract

Background

Undiagnosed cases of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection result in significant morbidity and mortality, further transmission, and increased public health costs. Testing in emergency departments (EDs) is an opportunity to expand HCV screening. The goal of this project was to increase the proportion of eligible patients screened for HCV in urban areas.

Methods

An opportunistic automated HCV screening program was implemented in the EDs of 4 public hospitals in Spain and Portugal at different periods between 2018 and 2023. HCV prevalence was prospectively evaluated, and single-step or reflex testing was used for confirmation in the same sample.

Results

More than 90% of the population eligible for testing were screened in the participating centers. We found HCV antibody seroprevalence rates ranging from 0.6 to 3.9%, with between 19 and 53% of viremic individuals.

Conclusions

Opportunistic HCV screening in EDs is feasible, does not disrupt ED activities, is highly effective in increasing diagnosis, and contributes to WHO’s HCV elimination goals.

Details

Title
Emergency department contribution to HCV elimination in the Iberian Peninsula
Author
Buti, Maria 1 ; Vaz-Pinto, Inês 2 ; Magno Pereira, Vítor 3 ; Casado, Marta 4 ; Llaneras, Jordi 5 ; Barreira, Ana 1 ; Esteves, Catarina 2 ; Guimarães, Mafalda 2 ; Gorgulho, Ana 2 ; Mourão, Tomás 2 ; Xavier, Elisa 3 ; Jasmins, Luís 3 ; Reis, Ana Paula 3 ; Faria, Nancy 3 ; Freitas, Bruno 3 ; Andrade, Graça 3 ; Camelo-Castillo, Anny 4 ; Rodríguez-Maresca, Manuel Ángel 4 ; Carrodeguas, Alba 6 ; Medina, Diogo 6 ; Esteban, Rafael 1 

 Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron and CIBEREHD del Instituto Carlos III, Barcelona, Spain (GRID:grid.411083.f) (ISNI:0000 0001 0675 8654) 
 Hospital Dr. José de Almeida, Cascais, Portugal (GRID:grid.411083.f) 
 Hospital Dr. Nélio Mendonça, Madeira, Portugal (GRID:grid.411083.f) 
 Hospital Universitario Torrecárdenas, Almería, Spain (GRID:grid.411083.f) 
 Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Barcelona, Spain (GRID:grid.411083.f) (ISNI:0000 0001 0675 8654) 
 Gilead Sciences, Madrid, Spain (GRID:grid.488275.4) (ISNI:0000 0004 1793 9401) 
Pages
5
Publication year
2024
Publication date
Dec 2024
Publisher
Springer Nature B.V.
e-ISSN
18651380
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2910044670
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2023. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.