Hepatitis C virus genotypes and associated risk factors in the state of Pará, Northern Brazil

BACKGROUND: Despite the emergence of more effective therapies, hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains a serious public health problem at the global level. Currently, this virus is classified into seven genotypes and 67 subgenotypes, which in turn are distributed heterogeneously in Brazil and worldwide. Studies have shown that this genetic divergence results in differences in the progression of chronic disease associated with HCV infection and its treatment. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to report the frequency of HCV genotypes in the state of Pará, Northern Brazil, and to assess the association between genotype and different clinical and laboratory characteristics, as well as risk factors for infection. METHOD: Data from 85 medical records of untreated patients who had chronic hepatitis C infection were analyzed; the patients were evaluated at two hospitals in Belem, Pará, Brazil. RESULTS: Circulation of genotypes 1 and 3 was detected, with a higher prevalence of genotype 1 (75.3%) than genotype 3 (24.7%). In addition, there was a predominance of subgenotype 1b (60.34%) compared to 1a (20.69%) and 3a (18.97%). Reuse of needles and/or glass syringes was significantly associated with infection by HCV genotype 1 than genotype 3; however, the small number of patients infected with genotype 3 may have biased the results. No associations between genotype and the evaluated clinical and laboratory characteristics were observed. CONCLUSION: This study reinforces the differences in the distribution of HCV genotypes in Brazil and showed no association between HCV genotype and progression of chronic hepatitis C in the studied group.