OBJECTIVE: Hepatitis C is an important public health problem targeted for elimination by WHO. The prevalence of hepatitis C infection is higher in prisoner patients, compared to the general population. However, data on HCV infection in prisoners are extremely limited in Turkey. This study aimed to examine the genotype distributions, intravenous drug use rates, and treatment success with direct-acting antivirals in prisoner patients in a single center in Turkey.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this study, data from 64 HCV antibodies-positive prisoner patients who were admitted to Kırıkkale University Hospital Infectious Diseases outpatient clinic between 2017-2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Negative HCV RNA in the first month of treatment and 12 weeks after treatment were accepted as early and sustained viral responses.

RESULTS: According to the pre-treatment results, HCV RNA was positive in 52 of the 64 patients who resulted positive to HCV screening. The most frequently detected viral genotypes were: genotype 1a (55.8%) and genotype 3 (26.9%). The rate of intravenous drug use in patients with chronic HCV infection was 61.5%. Forty-three patients received direct-acting antiviral therapy. Early viral response and sustained viral response were achieved in all patients.

CONCLUSIONS: Active surveillance, timely treatment and prevention measures among inmates are essential in terms of HCV infection elimination targets. Direct-acting antivirals can be considered as milestones for the elimination of HCV due to their low side effects, short treatment course, and high viral response rates.