Seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus in a tertiary care centre in Vijaypur, Karnataka, India.

Abstract

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) can cause asymptomatic infection and chronic infection with HCV is one of the major causes of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. According to World Health Organization (WHO) there are 180 million people affected with HCV worldwide and about 12.5 million carriers in India. The present study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of hepatitis C virus among hospital based general population in Vijaypur, a district of North Karnataka. Seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus was determined using a third generation ELISA. The study population comprised of six hundred individuals attending a tertiary care center in Vijaypur. The overall seroprevalence was found to be 2.6%. Out of 16 seropositive patients, 09 were males and 07 were females. Investigating seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus in the community provides an opportunity to investigate risk factors for transmission, the natural history of infection and effectiveness of preventive methodologies