Underestimation of infection by hepatitis C virus and HIV

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are significant health issues affecting public health The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of HCV and HIV infection in a cadaveric population that consisted of two different :groups a natural death group and a group of people that had died from adverse drug reactions Material and methods Retrospective study performed at the "Instituto de Medicina Legal" (Legal Medicine Institute) of Cataluna, Barcelona Sample size 219 blood samples from human corpses undergoing autopsy where HCV and HIV measures were determined Methods HCV and HIV antibody screening was performed by immunoassay Results Total prevalences of HCV, HIV and HCV + HIV of 15 5%, 16 9% and 7 3%, respectively, were obtained In the natural death group, prevalences were 8 7%, 14 2% and 2 7%, respectively In the group of people who died due to adverse drug reactions, prevalences were 64 2%, 42 3% and 34 4%, respectively Conclusions Results indicate a high prevalence of both infections, which was above that informed in epidemiological records, comparable to the prevalence found in similar blood samples, and greater than the prevalence found in other population groups These infections are underestimated in the general population Further studies in;other groups are necessary to obtain up-to-date public health data.