Summary
Background. World Health Organisation has set an ambitious goal to diagnose 90% of those infected with hepatitis C virus infection by 2030, reduce the incidence by 80% and decrease the mortality associated with hepatitis C virus infection by 65%. However, the possibility of reinfection with hepatitis C virus after successful treatment prevents the elimination of the infection. It is essential to identify high-risk groups and to take preventive and continued care measures that can tackle the reinfection of the hepatitis C virus, thereby contributing to a decrease in morbidity and mortality.
Clinical cases. Six clinical cases of reinfection with hepatitis C virus have been described. The patients were 28–41 years- old, with the majority being male. All patients were injecting drug users, 3 were treated for opioid addiction, 2 patients were treated for alcohol addiction, 2 were in prison. Primary reinfection was diagnosed to 5 patients, while secondary reinfection – to 1 patient. The time from the sustained virologic response to reinfection ranged from 21 to 444 weeks. Most patients visited health care facilities on an irregular basis, did not follow the recommendations of alcohol consumption or drug use. Their social problems remained unresolved.
Conclusions. Prior research suggests that the high-risk group of re infection with hep a ti tis C virus includes injecting drug users, Human Immunodefi ciency Virus-positive men who have sex with men and prisoners. The application of preventive measures and continued care after the treatment of chronic hepatitis C are essential measures to eliminate the risk of reinfection with hepatitis C virus.
