Background: the prevalence of chronic viral hepatitis in Spain could vary because of the immigrants coming from countries having an elevated with a higher endemicity of hepatitis B and C virus. Hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus infections are an important health problem worldwide taking into account their chronic consequences. The aim of this study was to know the impact of immigration in the prevalence of chronic viral hepatitis in Spain.
Methods: qualitative of scientific papers searching in Medline and MEDES-MEDicina, with date limit January 1998- December 2012 and only papers in English and Spanish.
Results: data from 19 original articles were analyzed. The prevalences of hepatitis B and C virus infections in the immigrant population, on the whole, are higher than Spanish population. Immigrants from Africa and East European countries presented the higher prevalence of Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C virus infection, whereas the Latin American-origin population displayed the lowest one.
Conclusion: the prevalences of hepatitis B and C virus infections in the immigrant population suggest they could have a substantial public health impact in Spain.