Prevalence of antibodies to the hepatitis C virus among Arab and Chaldean Americans in southeast Michigan, USA.

OBJECTIVE The prevalence of antibodies to the hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) in the United States is estimated to be 1.6%. There are no published studies on the prevalence of anti-HCV among the Arab/Chaldean American population in the United States. DESIGN Retrospective review of data collected during an HCV public awareness program conducted by the Arab American and Chaldean Council. Inclusion criteria were that subjects had to be of Arab/Chaldean descent, born in an Arab country, and test positive or negative for anti-HCV using the "Home Access Hepatitis C Test." MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The overall estimated prevalence of anti-bodies to HCV was 5.4% among Arab/Chaldean Americans residing in southeast Michigan. RESULTS Four hundred and eighty four participants were tested for anti-HCV. The estimated prevalence among Chaldeans was 2% vs 5.9% among Arabs, which varied according to their country of origin. Anti-HCV positive results were more common in participants with a history of hepatitis (30.4%), jaundice (21.1%), blood transfusion (14.6%), treatment by nonsterile injection (13.6%), and tattoo/body piercing (10%). On binary logistic regression analysis, significant predictors for positive anti-HCV included history of hepatitis (OR: 19, 95% CI 2.58-139.93), blood transfusion (OR: 4.7, 95% CI 1.09-20.56), tattoo or body piercing CONCLUSION To our knowledge, this is the first study to report the estimated prevalence of anti-HCV and risk factors among the Arab and Chaldean Americans in the United States. The estimated prevalence of anti-bodies to HCV is 5.4% in this population, a rate that is more than triple the national average. Because of the relatively small sample size and limited geographic region, more studies are needed to evaluate the true prevalence of HCV antibodies in this and other ethnic minority population.