Gut Liver.  2014 Jul;8(4):428-432.

Regional Distribution of Hepatitis C Virus Infection in the Republic of Korea, 2007-2011

• Kwon GY
• Lee H
• Gwack J
• Lee SW
• Ki M
• Youn SK

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS
In Korea, hepatitis C is included as an infectious disease in a sentinel surveillance system. Recently, a large variation in hepatitis C incidence between different regions in Korea has been noticed. The current study verified the nationwide distribution of hepatitis C infection for effective prevention and management.
METHODS
We counted the number of hepatitis C patients who visited a hospital per county using the National Health Insurance database from 2007 to 2011. The age-adjusted prevalence ratio was used, and the age adjustment method was used as an indirect standardization method. Disease mapping and spatial analysis were conducted using a geographic information system.
RESULTS
The annual prevalence of diagnosed hepatitis C was approximately 0.12% to 0.13% in Korea. The age-adjusted prevalence ratios in Busan, Jeonnam, and Gyeongnam were high (1.75, 1.4, and 1.3, respectively). The three regions in the southern coastal area of the Korean Peninsula were identified as a high-prevalence cluster (Moran's index, 0.3636).
CONCLUSIONS
The present study showed that hepatitis C infection has very large regional variation, and there are several high-risk areas. Preventive measures focusing on these areas should be applied to block the transmission of hepatitis C and reduce the disease burden.

Keyword

Hepatitis C; Infection; Prevalence; Republic of Korea; Spatial analysis

MeSH Terms

Adult
Age Distribution
Aged
Hepatitis C, Chronic/*epidemiology
Humans
Middle Aged
Prevalence
Republic of Korea/epidemiology
Residence Characteristics
Risk Factors