Aziz Marjan Khattak, Hafiz Allah Nawaz, Jafar Khan, Habibullah Khan.
Frequency of hepatitis B and C on screening in Dera Ismail Khan.
Gomal J Med Sci Jan ;10(1):84-6.

Background: Hepatitis B and C virus infections account for a substantial proportion of liver diseases world-wide. This study was conducted to find out the frequency of hepatitis B & C and associated risk factors in patients clinically suspected as having hepatitis. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted at Pathol-ogy Department, Gomal Medical College D.I.Khan. Patients suspected of having hepatitis and referred by consultants for investigation, during February 2008 to January 2009 were included. HBsAg and Anti-HCV antibodies screening was done with immune-chromatographic technique one-step device. Positive cases were confirmed by ELISA. Results: Total 1544 patients were tested; 1043 males and 501 females, with males to female ratio of 2:1. Out of these 248(16.06%) were HBsAg positive and 101(6.54%) anti-HCV positive. The mean age of HBsAg positive patients was 27.16±11.94 years, while that of Anti-HCV was 35.58 ± 13.93 years. Concurrent infection was found in 4 male patients for both HBsAg and Anti-HCV. As risk factors, parenteral drug administration was the most common risk factor and barber visit the second most common in males while piercing of ear/nose in females. Conclusion: Hepatitis B and C are common in this region. Hepatitis B is more frequent than C. Males are affected more as compared to females. Transmission by parenteral route is the most common risk factor.

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