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Geatitis C poses a global threat to women of reproductive age
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
Both acute hepatitis C (AHC) and hepatitis C virus (HCV)-associated liver cirrhosis cases increased substantially globally from 1990 to 2019 among women of reproductive age, according to a study published in the Journal of Global Health.
Yanzheng Zou of the School of Public Health at Nanjing Medical University in China and colleagues used data from the Global Burden of Disease study to examine the global incidence and time trends (1990 to 2019) of HCV-associated HCV and cirrhosis among women of reproductive age (15 to 49 years).
The researchers found that during the study period, the global incidence of ACS and HCV-associated cirrhosis increased by 46.45% and 72.74%, respectively. In regions with a low sociodemographic index, age-standardized incidence rates of ACS were highest but showed a decreasing trend, while age-standardized incidence rates of HCV-associated cirrhosis showed unfavorable trends in regions with a low, low-medium, and high sociodemographic index.
High incidence rates or increasing trends in ACS and HCV-associated cirrhosis were observed in sub-Saharan Africa, high-income North America, Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
"Period effects suggest a resurgence of the risk of ACS and HCV-associated cirrhosis in recent years, posing additional challenges for HCV elimination," the authors write.