Prevalence and Characteristics of Chronic Hepatitis C Among Asian Americans Are Distinct From Other Ethnic Groups.

GOAL The goal of this study was to determine the prevalence and characteristics of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) among Asian Americans compared with other ethnicities. BACKGROUND Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) affects an estimated 2.7 million in the United States, but there are limited data on HCV among Asian Americans. STUDY A total of 3,369,881 adults over the age of 18 who were patients of the integrated health care system in Southern California and 4903 Asian participants at community hepatitis screenings were included in a cross-sectional study. Variables included HCV serology, HCV genotype, comorbidities, and coinfections. RESULTS The prevalence of CHC was 1.3% in the general population (8271 adults) and 0.6% among Asians. The prevalence of CHC was significantly higher in the 1945-1965 birth cohort with 2.7% (5876) in the general population and 1.0% (313) among Asians (P<0.001). Asians had the highest rates of hepatitis B coinfection (2.9% vs. 0.2%, P<0.001). The distribution of genotypes among Asians differed from the general population with the most common genotype being 1b (27.5%) and a higher presence of genotype 6 (9.5%) (P<0.001). The presence of cirrhosis was 17.6% in Asians. Disaggregated Asian data showed that CHC was highest among Vietnamese and Cambodian and that genotype 6 was predominant among these 2 subgroups. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of chronic HCV was significantly lower in Asians compared with other ethnicities. However, disaggregated data among Asians showed the highest prevalence rates among adults from Vietnam and Cambodia.