Perspectives In Medical Research (Aug 2018)
Seroprevalence of Hepatitis C virus-specific antibodies in a hospital based population attending tertiary care center: A study from Northern Telangana, India
Abstract
Introduction: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a bloodborne infection, most commonly transmitted through sharing of needles (unsafe injection practices), blood and blood products whereas sexual and vertical routes of transmission are less common. HCV causes silent acute infection to severe chronic infection manifesting as chronic liver disease, fibrosis, cirrhosis, cancer, and liver failure. However chronic HCV infection-related complications can be prevented by early screening and treatment if required. Objectives: To evaluate the seroprevalence of HCVspecific antibodies in a hospital-based population. Materials & Methods: The present hospital recordbased, a cross sectional study was carried out at the rural based tertiary care center, in Northern Telangana, India, from January 2017 to July 2017. A total of 3748 blood samples were screened for HCV-specific antibody using 4th generation HCV TRI-DOT (Diagnostic Enterprises, H.P. India). The data of those, who were found to be reactive for HCV-specific antibodies were statistically analyzed by chi-square test, and results were considered significant if the p value was <0.05. Results: Out of 3748 blood samples tested, 7 (0.19%) were found to be reactive for the HCV-specific antibody which includes 5 (0.23%) males and 2 (0.12%) females. The most commonly affected age group was less than 10 years. Conclusion: In this study, the seroprevalence of HCVspecific antibody was 0.19%. This study highlights the current prevalence rate of HCV infection at our tertiary care center recommending mandatory screening of hospital attending population for early detection and prevention of chronic HCV infection related complications
