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World J Gastroenterol. Oct 14, 2015; 21(38): 10790-10810
Published online Oct 14, 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i38.10790
Epidemiology of hepatitis C virus in Iran
Reza Taherkhani, Fatemeh Farshadpour
Reza Taherkhani, Fatemeh Farshadpour, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Medicine, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr 7514633341, Iran
Reza Taherkhani, Persian Gulf Biomedical Research Center, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr 7514633341, Iran
Fatemeh Farshadpour, Persian Gulf Tropical Medicine Research Center, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr 7514633341, Iran
Author contributions: Taherkhani R and Farshadpour F solely contributed to this paper.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare there are no conflicts of interest in the content of this review.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Fatemeh Farshadpour, PhD, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, School of Medicine, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Moallem Street, PO Box 3631, Bushehr 7514633341, Iran. f.farshadpour@yahoo.com
Telephone: +98-9171712653 Fax: +98-7714550235
Received: March 27, 2015
Peer-review started: March 28, 2015
First decision: April 24, 2015
Revised: May 20, 2015
Accepted: August 31, 2015
Article in press: August 31, 2015
Published online: October 14, 2015
Processing time: 200 Days and 13 Hours
Abstract

In Iran, the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is relatively low according to the population-based epidemiological studies. However, the epidemiology of HCV is changing and the rate of HCV infection is increasing due to the growth in the number of injecting drug users in the society. In addition, a shift has occurred in the distribution pattern of HCV genotypes among HCV-infected patients in Iran. Genotype 1a is the most prevalent genotype in Iran, but in recent years, an increase in the frequency of 3a and a decrease in 1a and 1b have been reported. These variations in the epidemiology of HCV reflect differences in the routes of transmission, status of public health, lifestyles, and risk factors in different groups and geographic regions of Iran. Health policy makers should consider these differences to establish better strategies for control and prevention of HCV infection. Therefore, this review was conducted to present a clear view regarding the current epidemiology of HCV infection in Iran.

Keywords: Hepatitis C virus; Blood donors; Injecting drug users; Hemodialysis; Hemophilia; Thalassemia; Genotypes; Occult hepatitis C virus; Epidemiology; Iran

Core tip: The distribution patterns of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are related to different status of public health and the presence of risk factors in the society. In Iran, the predominance of risk factors for transmission of HCV has changed from blood transfusion to intravenous drug use; and due to the growth in the number of injecting drug users, the prevalence of HCV infection is rising in the country. Even the recent changes in the distribution pattern of HCV genotypes confirm this issue. Overall, the epidemiology of HCV is changing in Iran. Therefore, this review was conducted to present a clear view about current epidemiology of HCV in Iran.