Seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus among the blood donors in a tertiary care hospital

Background and objectives- Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major cause of chronic liver disease worldwide, with majority of the patients being asymptomatic and when they present to clinicians, they have already advanced liver disease in form of cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. Data from developing countries on this evolving global health problem are sparse. Hence this study was planned with the aim to determine the HCV genotypes prevalant in patients attending a tertiary care hospital with their clinical prole. Materials and Methods- Detailed history taking and clinical examination were done of consecutive 30 patients who attended out-patient department or admitted at in- patient department of Tropical Medicine with chronic hepatitis C. Laboratory investigations like LFT, viral serology (HBsAg, AntiHCV, HIV), prothrombin time, ultrasonography of upper abdomen, HCV- RNA Quantative assay with genotyping were done. Data were collected and then analysed using standard statistical methods. Result- Of proposed 30 sample size, complete data could be collected of 28 patients and accordingly, analysis was done. Of the 28 HCV seroreactive individuals, majority (20) were males. The mode of transmission was unknown in 19 patients, blood transfusion in 5 patients who were thalassemic and hemodialysis in remaining 4 patients. Most of the patients (18/28) were asymptomatic even if their viral load was high. Most common presenting symptom was dyspepsia. LFT showed signicant transaminitis in 50% of the patients. Of the 28 seroreactive patients, 15 (53.57%) were HCV RNA positive based on RT-PCR. HCV rNA was below detectable level in 13 patients. HCV genotype 3 was the predominant genotype found in 11 individuals followed by genotype 1 found in 3 and genotype 2 was seen in one individual. Conclusion- Community screening specially among high risk individuals is needed for early diagnosis and prompt treatment of chronic hepatitis C to prevent its several complications and also to prevent community spread.

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Increasing Seroprevalence of Hepatitis C Virus among Blood Donors - A 3 Year Study in North India

Journal of Evidence Based Medicine and Healthcare ◽

10.18410/jebmh/2021/74 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (07) ◽

pp. 379-383

Author(s):

Jagjeewan Ram ◽

Namrata Nigam ◽

Aparna Singh ◽

Lubna Khan

Keyword(s):

Hepatitis C Virus ◽

Hepatitis C ◽

Blood Transfusion ◽

Blood Donors ◽

Tertiary Care ◽

North India ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Care Hospital ◽

Hepatitis C Infection ◽

Case Volume

BACKGROUND The primary aspect of blood transfusion lies in the availability of blood and blood components which are tested and reported negative for transfusion transmitted infections (TTI’s). The increased seroprevalence of TTI’s indicate their prevalence in general public. The study was conducted to analyse the increasing seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) over a period of 3 years. The objectives of the study determine the seroprevalence of hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among the voluntary blood donors at a tertiary care hospital & associated blood bank. METHODS This cross-sectional study was done at the Department of Transfusion Medicine, GSVM Medical College, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, over a period of 3 years from July 2017 to June 2020. The samples collected were screened by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests. RESULTS A total of 69561 blood units were collected during this 3-year study from July 2017 to June 2020. Of all the blood bags screened, the highest prevalence was seen for HBV followed by HCV and HIV. 949 (1.4 %) were reactive for HBV, 75 (0.1 %) were reactive for HIV and 332 (0.5 %) were reactive for HCV. The results show a remarkable increase in the seropositivity for hepatitis C infection. CONCLUSIONS The seroprevalence of HCV has seen an increase in case load over the years as compared to HBV and HIV. This increase in case volume is indicative of impending liver diseases progressing to chronic stage over the years. Thus, it is imperative to create awareness in the general population to help reduce the risk factors responsible for HCV infection. KEYWORDS Blood Transfusion, Voluntary Donors, HCV, HBV, HIV, Seroprevalence, Transfusion Transmitted Infections (TTI’s)

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