BackgroundScreening programmes for the detection of patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and positive viral load have been developed in many countries to achieve the World Health Organization's goal of HCV elimination by 2030. In Italy, a phased screening programme starting with individuals born between 1969 and 1989 has been implemented.AimTo assess the prevalence of patients with positive viraemia identified through a universal screening campaign conducted among hospitalised patients at our centre during the calendar year 2022.MethodsAll adult (aged ≥ 18 years) hospitalised patients, who participated in HCV screening from January to December 2022 were included, without any age restriction. Screening initially involved testing for anti‐HCV antibodies and then patients who tested positive underwent further HCV‐RNA testing.ResultsA total of 10,846 samples were collected. Five hundred and thirty cases (4.8%) tested positive for HCV antibodies, and 109 (1%) tested positive for both HCV antibodies and HCV‐RNA. Among patients with a positive viral load, the median [IQR] age was 62 [53–77] years, with a significant age difference between males and females (59 [48–67] vs. 78 [62–88]; Mann–Whitney U‐test, p = 0.001). Eighty‐four (77%) patients with a positive viral load were outside the target age range specified in the current National Recommendations for free‐of‐charge screening.ConclusionsThe non‐negligible prevalence of patients with a positive viral load among an unselected group of hospitalised patients suggests that such settings could effectively enhance screening programmes aimed at HCV elimination. Additionally, this approach may help identify patients who are not currently included in the National Recommendations.

中文翻译：

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丙型肝炎院内筛查活动可有效识别更多仍需治疗的患者


背景为了实现世界卫生组织到 2030 年消除 HCV 的目标，许多国家已经制定了检测丙型肝炎病毒 （HCV） 和病毒载量阳性患者的筛查计划。在意大利，已经实施了一项分阶段筛查计划，从 1969 年至 1989 年出生的个人开始。目的评估 2022 日历年期间通过在我们中心的住院患者中进行的普遍筛查活动确定的阳性病毒血症患者的患病率。方法包括 2022 年 1 月至 12 月参加 HCV 筛查的所有成年（≥ 18 岁）住院患者，没有任何年龄限制。筛查最初涉及抗 HCV 抗体检测，然后检测呈阳性的患者接受进一步的 HCV-RNA 检测。结果共收集 10,846 份样本。530 例 （4.8%） 的 HCV 抗体检测呈阳性，109 例 （1%） 的 HCV 抗体和 HCV-RNA 检测呈阳性。在病毒载量阳性的患者中，中位 [IQR] 年龄为 62 [53-77] 岁，男性和女性之间存在显著的年龄差异（59 [48-67] vs. 78 [62-88];Mann-Whitney U 检验，p = 0.001）。84 名病毒载量阳性的患者超出了当前国家免费筛查建议中规定的目标年龄范围。结论在未选择的住院患者中，病毒载量阳性患者的患病率不可忽视，这表明这种环境可以有效地加强旨在消除 HCV 的筛查计划。此外，这种方法可能有助于识别目前未包含在国家推荐中的患者。