2006 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Follow-up survey of about 11,000 individuals with positive for anti-HCV identified in Saga screening system and its preventive effect for occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma
Project/Area Number |
17390188
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Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
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Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
Section | 一般 |
Research Field |
Public health/Health science
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Research Institution | Saga University |
Principal Investigator |
YASUTAKE Tsutomu Saga University, Faculty of Medicine, Assistant Professor, 医学部, 助手 (20336126)
|
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
MIZUTA Toshihiko Saga University, Faculty of Medicine, Assistant Professor, 医学部, 講師 (80253607)
OZAKI Iwata Saga University, Health Administration Center, Associate Professor, 保健管理センター, 助教授 (80214120)
EGUCHI Yuichiro Saga University, Faculty of Medicine, Assistant Professor, 医学部, 助手 (80343341)
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Project Period (FY) |
2005 – 2006
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Keywords | HCV carriers / Prevention for liver cancer / Screening for liver disease / Follow-up survey / Interferon treatment |
Research Abstract |
From 1980's Saga Prefecture has been reported to have the highest mortality rate of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Japan. A committee for the prevention of liver diseases in Saga was set up and screening systems to detect individuals infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) were developed. Surveys started from 1992 have revealed the unexpectedly high prevalence of HCV infection in the area, and the cause of high mortality rate of HCC has been considered to be due to the high prevalence of HCV infection. Until 2001, about 11,000 individuals with positive for anti-HCV were identified in Saga area. Since 2001, in addition to anti-HCV antibody, tests for HCVRNA and HCV antigen were added to detect HCV carriers. In this study, the database of HCV carriers detected by screening for HCV has been developed and these carriers are followed and analyzed. Between 2001 and 2005, 1,230 of HCV carriers (2.3 % of examined) were identified in Saga Prefecture. Among these, 741 people who were identified as HCV carrier between 2001 and 2003 were followed. 644 (86.9%) of them visited hospital and received further examination for liver diseases and the most of them were recommended to receive regular examination. However, only 30% of patients who visited hospital received medication, and only 16.6% of treated patients (4.8% of carriers who visited hospital) were treated with interferon-containing medication. The screening systems successfully identified HCV carriers and more than 80% of them visited hospital. However, only 4.8% of HCV carriers who visited hospital received interferon-containing treatment. It seems to be difficult to reduce the number of HCC that frequently appears in HCV carriers without increasing interferon treatment to eradicate HCV.
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Research Products
(13 results)