Hepatitis C in Colombia: Screening recommendations for pregnant women
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29166/rfcmq.v50i1.6987Abstract
The article highlights hepatitis C as a public health issue in Colombia and the need for screening in pregnant women. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection can cause obstetric and perinatal complications, but Colombia lacks a systematic screening strategy in prenatal care.
Globally, only a fraction of hepatitis C cases are diagnosed and treated. In Colombia, cases have increased, but detection is limited to blood banks, underestimating the actual burden of the disease. In contrast, countries like the United States have implemented universal screening for pregnant women.
The article recommends including HCV screening for pregnant women in national strategies to eliminate mother-to-child transmission. This would align Colombia with international recommendations, enabling early diagnosis and reducing complications associated with the infection.
Downloads
Metrics
References
World Health Organization. Hepatitis C. Centro de Prensa [Internet]. 2024. [cited 2024 Jun 3]:1
Available from: https://www.who.int/es/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hepatitis-c
Dieye NL, Varol M, Zorich SC, Millen AE, Yu KOA, Gómez-Duarte OG. Retrospective analysis of
vertical Hepatitis C exposure and infection in children in Western New York. BMC Gastroenterol[Internet].
[cited 2025 Dec 1];23(1). Available from:https://bmcgastroenterol.biomedcentral.com/
articles/10.1186/s12876-023-02871-8
Rana R, Dangal R, Singh Y, Gurung RB, Rai B, Sharma AK. Hepatitis c virus infection in pregnancy
and children: Its implications and treatment considerations with directly acting antivirals: A review.
Journal of the Nepal Medical Association. Nepal Medical Association [Internet].2021. [cited 2025
Dec 1].59:942–53. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35199739/
Viola L, Marciano S, Colombato L, Coelho H, Cheinquer H, Bugarin G, et al. HEPLA: A multicenter
study on demographic and disease characteristics of patients with hepatitis C in Latin America. Ann
Hepatol [Internet]. 2020. [cited 2024 Nov 23];19(2):161–5. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.
nih.gov/31718995/
Blach S, Zeuzem S, Manns M, Altraif I, Duberg AS, Muljono DH, et al. Global prevalence and genotype
distribution of hepatitis C virus infection in 2015: A modelling study. Lancet Gastroenterol
Hepatol [Internet]. 2017.[cited 2024 Nov 23];2(3):161–76. Available from: http://www.thelancet.
com/article/S2468125316301819/fulltext
Magri MC, Manchiero C, Dantas BP, Nunes AKDS, Prata TVG, Domingos DEA, et al. Hepatitis
C Among People Who Inject Drugs (PWID) in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Meta-Analysis
of Prevalence Over Three Decades. J Stud Alcohol Drugs [Internet]. 2023.[cited 2024 Nov
;84(1):118–27. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36799682/
Huarez B, Hernández-Vásquez A, Azañedo D, Vargas-Fernández R, Comandé D, Agüero-Palacios
Y. Prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection in patients with end-stage renal disease in Latin America
and the Caribbean: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Arch Virol [Internet]. 2022.[cited 2024
Nov 23];167(12):2653–64. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36195804/
Spera AM, Eldin TK, Tosone G, Orlando R. Antiviral therapy for hepatitis C: Has anything changed
for pregnant/lactating women? World J Hepatol [Internet]. 2016.[cited 2024 Nov 23];8(12):557–65.
Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27134703/
Dotters-Katz SK, Kuller JA, Hughes BL. Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine Consult Series #56:
Hepatitis C in pregnancy—updated guidelines: Replaces Consult Number 43, November 2017. Am
J Obstet Gynecol [Internet]. 2021 [cited 2024 Nov 23];225(3):B8–18. Available from: http://www.
ajog.org/article/S0002937821006396/fulltext
Cohen MK, Muntner P, Kent CK, Gottardy AJ, Leahy MA, Spriggs SR, et al. CDC Recomendations for
Hepatitis C Testing Among Perinatally Exposed Infants and Childre United States, 2023 [Internet]. 2023.
[cited 2024 Nov 23]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/rr/pdfs/rr7204a1-H.pdf
Ministerio Salud Colombia. ETMI PLUS COLOMBIA 2018-2021: Marco para la eliminación de la transmisión
materno infantil del VIH, la Sífilis, la Hepatitis B y la enfermedad de Chagas [Internet].2018.
[cited 2024 Nov 23]. Available from: https://www.minsalud.gov.co/sites/rid/Lists/BibliotecaDigital/RIDE/INEC/INTOR/eliminacion-transmision-materno-infantil-vih-sifilis-chagas-hepetitib-etmi-colombia-
Cuenta de Alto Costo. Situación de la hepatitis C crónica en los regímenes contributivo y subsidiado
de Colombia 2022. [Internet].2022. [cited 2024 Nov 23]. Available from: https://cuentadealtocosto.
org/publicaciones/situacion-de-la-hepatitis-c-cronica-en-los-regimenes-subsidiado-y-contributivo-
de-colombia-2022/
Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social. Resolución número 13 febrero 2024. Por la cual se adoptan
los lineamientos técnicos y operativos para el Programa de Tamizaje Neonatal. [Internet]. 2024.
[cited 2024 Nov 23]. Available from: https://www.minsalud.gov.co/Normatividad_Nuevo/Resoluci%
C3%B3n%20No%20207de%202024.pdf
Cuenta de Alto Costo Fondo Colombiano de Enfermedades de Alto Costo. Magnitud, tendencias
y acceso a los servicios de salud en las personas con enfermedades de alto costo [Internet]. 2022.
[cited 2024 Nov 23]. Available from: https://cuentadealtocosto.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/
final_mta_2022.pdf
Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social. Ruta integral de la atención para la promoción y mantenimiento
de la salud y ruta integral de atención en salud para la población materno perinatal. Resolución
[Internet]. 2018. [cited 2024 Nov 23]. Available from: https://www.minsalud.gov.co/
Normatividad_Nuevo/Resoluci%C3%B3n%20No.%203280%20de%2020183280.pdf
Bhattacharya D, Aronsohn A, Price J, Lo Re V, Heald J, Demisashi G, et al. Hepatitis C Guidance
Update: American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases– Infectious Diseases Society of
America Recommendations for Testing, Managing, and Treating Hepatitis C Virus Infection. Clinical
Infectious Diseases [Internet]. 2023. [cited 2024 Nov 23]. Available from: https://academic.oup.
com/cid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/cid/ciad319/7179952
López-Osorio MC, Beltrán M, Navas MC. Epidemiology of hepatitis c virus infection in Colombia.
Pan American Journal of Public Health [Internet]. 2021. [cited 2024 Nov 23]. Available from: https://
journal.paho.org/en/articles/epidemiology-hepatitis-c-virus-infection-colombia
Pott H, Theodoro M, de Almeida Vespoli J, Senise JF, Castelo A. Mother-to-child transmission of
hepatitis C virus. Vol. 224, European Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Biology
[Internet]. 2018. [cited 2024 Nov 23];224:125-130. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.
ejogrb.2018.03.034
Imbeth-Acosta P, Leal-Martínez V, Ramos-Clason E, Pájaro-Galvis N, Martínez-Ávila MC, Almanza-
Hurtado A, et al. Prevalence of Chronic Infection by Hepatitis C Virus in Asymptomatic Population
With Risk Factors in Cartagena, Colombia. Front Med (Lausanne). Health [Internet]. 202. [cited
Nov 23]; 9:814622.Available from: https://dx.doi.org/ 10.3389/fmed.2022.814622
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Jorge Homero Wilches Visbal
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
