The changing epidemiology of hepatitis C virus infection in Europe

Juan I. Esteban1, 2,  ,  , Silvia Sauleda2, 3 and Josep Quer1, 2
1Liver Unit, Department of Medicine, Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Po Vall d’Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
2CIBER de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (Ciberehd) del Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain
3Banc de Sang i de Teixits, Institut Català de la Salut, Barcelona, Spain
Associate Editor: M. Colombo.  Available online 5 November 2007.
The epidemic of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in Europe is continuously evolving and epidemiological parameters (prevalence, incidence, disease transmission patterns and genotype distribution) have changed substantially during the last 15 years. Four main factors contribute to such changes: increased blood transfusion safety, improvement of healthcare conditions, continuous expansion of intravenous drug use and immigration to Europe from endemic areas. As a result, intravenous drug use has become the main risk factor for HCV transmission, prevalent infections have increased and genotype distribution has changed and diversified. Hence, prevalence data from studies conducted a decade ago may not be useful to estimate the current and future burden of HCV infection and additional epidemiological studies should be conducted, as well as new preventive strategies implemented to control the silent epidemic. This review summarizes recently published data on the epidemiology of HCV infection in Europe focusing on the factors currently shaping the epidemic.


Keywords: HCV; Epidemiology; Europe