本研究係自台灣地區20個鄉鎮區7282名居民研究世代中，隨機選取100名B型肝炎表面抗原帶原者，100名非帶原者為研究對象。利用酵素免疫法之商用試劑測定血清樣本中的C型肝炎病毒抗體（anti-HCV）。結果顯示anti-HCV陽性率為2.5%，在帶原者中為2.0%，非帶原者中為5.0%，但其差異未達統計上顯著意義。山地鄉、平地鄉鎮及都市的陽性率分別為10.0%、0.9%、2.5%，在都市化程度上有顯著差異，經過人口比例加權後的台灣地區一般人口之anti-HCV陽性率約為1.8%。男性和女性之抗體陽性率則頗相近，分別為3.3%和3.7%；高中以上教育程度者（0.0%）低於國中以下程度者（4.7%）：已婚者（5.1%）則高於未婚者（0.0%），但是年齡、性別、教育程度及婚姻狀況別的陽性率，由於樣本數太小和陽率偏低，所以未建統計顯著意義。

A total of 200 study subjects including 100 hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carriers and 100 non-carriers were randomly selected from a cohort of 7282 residents in 20 townships in Taiwan. Antibodies against the hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) in serum samples were examined by an enzyme immunoassay using commercial kits. The overall anti-HCV positive rate was 3.5%. HBsAg carriers had a lower rate (2%) than non-carriers (5%), but the difference was not statistically significant. The anti-HCV positive rate in aboriginal, rural and urban townships were 10%, 0.9% and 2.5%, respectively. The geographical variation in anti-HCV prevalence was statistically significant. Weighted by the proportion of population in various townships, the anti-HCV prevalence was estimated as 1.8% for the general population in Taiwan. Males and females had a similar positive rate of 3.3% and 3.7%, respectively. The positive rate was 1.9%.3.9% and 4.3%, respectively, for age groups of less than 26, 26-45 and 46 or more years old. Subjects with a higher educational level had a lower positive rate than those with a lower educational level (0% vs. 4.7%), and married individuals had a higher rate than unmarried individaels (5.1% vs. 0%). Due to the small sample size and low prevalence, differences by age, sex, educational level and marital status were not statistically significant.

Hepatitis C virus, seroprevalence, Taiwan