Journal of Islamic International Medical College (Dec 2021)
Hepatitis C Virus Infection, A Risk Factor for Gallstone Disease: A Cross Sectional Survey
Abstract
Objective: To study the frequency of gallstone disease in patients with hepatitis C virus infection. Study Design: Descriptive cross sectional study design. Place and Duration of Study: From 1 March 2019 to, 31 December 2019 at Department of Medicine and Radiology of Pakistan Railway Hospital Rawalpindi Materials and Methods: A total of 200 subjects were selected through non probability consecutive sampling from medical In-patient and Out-patient Department. They were screened for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection by anti-HCV antibodies test by enzyme linked immunosorbant essay (ELISA). They were divided into two groups. HCV positive and HCV negative groups with 100 participants in each group. The study subjects were sent to Radiology Department for detection of gall stones by abdominal ultrasound. The data was obtained from each participant regarding demographic and clinical variables and analyzed using SPSS version21. Results: HCV positive patients had significantly higher frequency of gallstones (12.5%) compared with HCV negative patients (4.5%). Higher percentage of males had gallstones in HCV positive group. Cirrhosis was present in 52% of HCV infected patients. Conclusion: The HCV infection is associated with increased risk of gallstone disease.
