ABSTRACT

Background: Current study was designed to find out the prevalence of active hepatitis C infections among general public in Lahore city. Methods: PCR reports for hepatitis C were collected from the different laboratories of the Lahore during the January 1, 2018 to January 1, 2019. Data from the reports were categorized into different age groups on the basis of record available. Data were analyzed statistically using Chi-Square test. Results: Out of the 4246 blood samples analyzed in this study, 210 were confirmed to be positive for active HCV infection. Gender-wise active HCV prevalence revealed no significant difference [OR = 1.10 CI = (0.83- 1.46), p > 0.05]. However, among the age groups the highest prevalence was observed in the age groups 20–29 (7.7%) and 30–39 years (6.4%) with odds of prevalence of 14.8% (OR = 2.48, CI = (1.40-4.38), p < 0.05) and 10.3% (OR = 2.03, CI = (1.10-3.71), respectively. In age groups above 40 years (40–49, 50–59 and >59 years), a decrease in levels of active HCV prevalence was observed. Conclusions: Among tested samples, 4.9% of the subjects were confirmed to harbor active HCV infections and the “middle aged” population in Lahore was found to be at a higher risk of the HCV ailments compared to both their younger and older peers. Keywords: Active HCV prevalence, Lahore, Pakistan, Nested PCR
Publication date: 01/02/21

https://ijbpas.com/pdf/2021/February/MS_IJBPAS_2021_5361.pdf

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https://doi.org/10.31032/IJBPAS/2021/10.2.5361