Abstract
Mortality data from Statistics Canada were analyzed to measure the temporal trends and burden of illness attributed to viral hepatitis in Canada. Analysis of age-standardized mortality rates from 1979 to 1997 showed an increasing trend in mortality for both hepatitis B and non-A, non-B hepatitis (NANBH), most of which are attributed to hepatitis C infections. Hepatitis B and NANBH agestandardized mortality rates increased respectively, from 0.03 and 0.12 deaths per 100,000 population in 1979 to 0.26 and 0.41 deaths per 100,000 in 1997. Male mortality rates were consistently higher than female for both diseases. Among deaths from chronic liver disease, over 1,000 deaths were estimated to have been caused by hepatitis B and hepatitis C annually. Although the hepatitis B or NANBH recorded deaths largely underestimate the true burden of HBV and HCV in Canada, the temporal trends are useful as they reflect changes in the impact of both diseases.
Résumé
Nous avons analysé les données de Statistique Canada sur la mortalité pour mesurer les tendances temporelles des maladies attribuées à l’hépatite virale au Canada. L’analyse des taux comparatifs de mortalité, de 1979 à 1997, montre une tendance croissante de la mortalité à la fois dans les cas d’hépatite B et dans les cas d’hépatite non A–non B (NANB), dont la plupart sont attribués à l’hépatite C. Les taux comparatifs de mortalité causée par l’hépatite B et l’hépatite NANB ont augmenté, passant respectivement de 0,03 et 0,12 décès pour 100 000 habitants en 1979, à 0,26 et à 0,41 décès pour 100 000 habitants en 1997. Les taux de mortalité chez les hommes étaient constamment plus élevés que chez les femmes, qu’il s’agisse de l’hépatite B ou de l’hépatite NANB. On estime que, sur le nombre total des décès causés par une maladie chronique du foie, plus de 1 000 décès par année sont causés par l’hépatite B et l’hépatite C. Bien que le nombre de décès attribués à l’hépatite B ou à l’hépatite NANB soit bien en deçà du fardeau réel de l’HVB et de l’HVC au Canada, les tendances temporelles sont utiles, car elle reflètent les changements dans l’incidence de ces deux maladies.
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