PREVALENCE OF HEPATITIS B AND C IN SURGICAL PATIENTS, CMH RAWALPINDI

Abstract

Objective: To find out the prevalence of Hepatitis B and C in patients coming in for surgery in CMH Rawalpindi. Study Design: Observational and descriptive study. Place and Duration of Study: Operation Theater, CMH Rawalpindi, from Feb to May 2018. Material and Methods: All patients admitted for surgical procedures in the above mentioned time span. Information on the incoming patients’ age, sex, surgery, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C test results was recorded in a pre-designed excel workbook on daily basis. Screening tests for HBV and HCV were done using blood samples of the patients in CMH laboratory/AFIP Rawalpindi. Statistical analysis was applied. Results were plotted and tabulated as presented in the paper. Results: The number of subjects recognized as Hepatitis B or C positive were 181 which are 4.38% of the sample of 4128. Out of the infected, 148 patients (81.3%) were diagnosed with Hepatitis C, 32 patients (17.6%) with Hepatitis B and a single patient (0.5%) suffered from both Hepatitis B and C. Conclusion: Awareness in the community about what Hepatitis is, how it is spread simply as a result of everyday activities that people are negligent about, and the urgency of routine screening for Hepatitis is a dire need of Pakistani society. Hence, anti-viral drug therapies for HCV and HBV vaccinations should be employed to treat these conditions and eventually reduce their spread.

Keywords

• hepatitis
• prevalence