Patil Satish R , Ghorpade M V , Supriya Satish Patil , Shinde R V. , Mohite S T
Background: Hepatitis C is a global health problem affecting a significant portion of the world’s population.A tertiary care hospital catering to the needs of large population represents an important center for serological surveys.
Objectives: To estimate the seroprevalence of HCV in both sexes and different age groups in a hospital based population.
Materials & Methods: Serum samples collected over a period of 12 months from patients attending OPDs and admitted to various IPDs of Krishna Hospital and Medical Research Center Karad, were included in the study. Seroprevalence of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) among hospital based general population was determined using a third generation ELISA.
Statistical analysis: Percentages, chi square test
Results & Conclusion: The study population comprised of 7373 individuals attending a tertiary care hospital in Karad, Maharashtra.The overall seroprevalence was found to be 0.38%.The seroprevalence in males and females was 0.62% and 0.19% respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in the proportion of individuals who were positive in case of males and females (p>0.05).Highest prevalence was found to be among males of the age group 41-50 years (2.05%) and females of the age group 51-60 years (0.87%) . Prevention of hepatitis C should target reduction of transmission of the virus. Prevention should target those at risk of acquiring the virus and should involve providing education, risk reduction counselling, HCV screening and substance abuse treatment. Further research in transmissibility of the various genotypes is necessary.
