S2066 Racio-Ethnic and Sex Disparities in the Incidence of Acute Hepatitis C in the United States

Introduction: Hepatitis C is a significant global health issue caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV); an RNA virus primarily transmitted through blood-to-blood contact. It often leads to chronic liver disease, including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Approximately 71 million people are chronically infected worldwide. Direct-acting antiviral therapies have revolutionized treatment, achieving cure rates exceeding 95%. This study aims to look at disparities among races and sexes in the incidence of acute hepatitis C. Methods: The CDC publishes the National Viral Hepatitis Surveillance reports annually. Data from 2007-2022 is publicly available. These reports were retrieved, and new cases of acute hepatitis C were identified, stratified by race, ethnicity and sex, and reported as cases/100,000 persons/year. Time trends were reported as annual percentage change (APC), using the Joinpoint Regression Software (v.5.0.2, NCI) utilizing the weighted Bayesian Information Criteria (BIC). Results: Compared with 2007, rates in 2022 were substantially higher among all sexes, races, and ethnicities. Non-Hispanic Black patients had the highest average APC of 19.58% (95% confidence interval [CI] - 13.62, 25.85; P< 0.05), followed by Hispanics at 17.92% (95% CI – 15.88, 20.11; P < 0.05). Non-Hispanic Whites had an average APC of 15.07% (95% CI – 12.56, 17.64; P < 0.05), Native American/Alaskans had an average APC of 11.99% (95% CI – 8.15, 15.97; P < 0.05), and Asian and Pacific Islanders had an average APC of 11.43% (95% CI – 5.41, 17.80; P < 0.05). Men had a higher rise in the incidence rates compared to women, with an average APC of 16.13% (95% CI – 14.02, 18.27; P< 0.05) vs 10.44% (95% CI – 8.34, 12.58; P< 0.05). Conclusion: Non-Hispanic Black patients and men had the highest average respective APCs, indicating that these populations were showing the fastest increase in the incidence of acute hepatitis C. Immediate interventions are required to control the rise in acute hepatitis C.