Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE, cilt.15, sa.7, ss.2678, 2026 (SCI-Expanded)
Background: The landscape of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has been changing with the introduction of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). This study evaluates 15-year temporal trends of anti-HCV and HCV-RNA positivity in a regional referral center in Türkiye, analyzing the impact of DAA treatments, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 2023 earthquakes on disease dynamics. Methods: Laboratory data of patients tested for anti-HCV antibodies and HCV-RNA between 2011 and 2025 were retrospectively analyzed after excluding repeat records. Positive patients were categorized by antibody titers (1–4.99 S/Co and ≥5 S/Co) and viremia status. Poisson, beta, and quantile regression models were determined annual trends in case numbers, positivity rates, and median ages. Results: A total of 402,557 patients underwent anti-HCV screening over 15 years. While annual test volume increased 2.25-fold, the number and rate of high-titer (≥5 S/Co) positive patients decreased four-fold, significantly. HCV-RNA positivity rates remained stable between 2011 and 2016 but declined sharply from 2017, falling approximately 19.2% annually (p < 0.001). Significant diagnostic disruptions occurred in 2020 (pandemic) and 2023 (earthquakes). An “aging trend” was identified; the median age of viremic patients increased by over 5.5 years throughout the study period. Conclusions: The introduction of DAAs in 2016 marked a milestone, leading to a nearly 90% reduction in the viremic patient burden in our region. The steady aging of the HCV-positive population suggests that the infected pool is shrinking and is not replenished. However, global and regional crises can hinder screening efforts, necessitating resilient public health strategies to achieve World Health Organization 2030 elimination targets.