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Prevalence of anti-HCV antibodies in central India
S P Jaiswal1, D S Chitnis, G Naik
1Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Choithram Hospital & Research Centre, Indore.
Insights
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence varied across patient groups in Central India. High-risk patients, including those with chronic renal failure and thalassemias, showed significantly higher anti-HCV rates, underscoring the need for blood screening.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Virology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection poses a significant global health challenge.
- Understanding HCV prevalence in diverse patient populations is crucial for targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of anti-HCV antibodies in various patient groups and healthy blood donors in Central India.
- To compare HCV prevalence with data from other Indian regions and identify high-risk populations.
Main Methods:
- Screening of 789 subjects including patients with acute viral hepatitis, chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, hepatic failure, chronic renal failure (CRF) on hemodialysis, thalassemias, and healthy voluntary blood donors.
- Anti-HCV antibody testing was performed.
- Data were compared with existing studies from other parts of India.
Main Results:
- Overall HCV prevalence was 4.85% in acute viral hepatitis and increased to 25.64% in chronic liver disease, peaking at 31.57% in cirrhosis.
- Anti-HCV positivity was 10% in hepatic failure, 41.9% in CRF patients, and 25.45% in thalassemias.
- Prevalence in voluntary blood donors was low at 1.78%.
Conclusions:
- Chronic renal failure patients and thalassemias exhibit a high prevalence of HCV infection.
- Screening blood units for anti-HCV before transfusion to high-risk groups is recommended to prevent transmission.
Abstract:
The study group screened for anti-HCV comprised 789 subjects of hepatitis, renal failure, thalassaemia and healthy voluntary blood donors coming from Central India during July 1992 to November 1995. The prevalence of HCV was low (4.85%) among 103 patients of acute viral hepatitis (AVH) while it was higher (25.64%) among 117 patients of chronic liver disease (CLD) with the highest rate of 31.57 percent in 57 patients of cirrhosis. The anti-HCV positivity among 101 patients with hepatic failure was around 10 percent. High risk groups such as chronic renal failure (CRF) patients mainly on haemodialysis and thalassaemics receiving multiple blood transfusions showed the prevalence of anti-HCV in 41.9 and 25.45 percent respectively. Only 1.78 percent of the 280 voluntary blood donors showed positivity for anti-HCV. Comparison of the data on HCV in the present study with data from other parts of India showed a wide variation in the different centers. The higher prevalence of HCV among CRF patients and thalassaemics indicates the need for screening of the blood units for anti-HCV before transfusion to these high risk patients.
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