The Prevalence of Hepatitis C virus infections among the adult population of district Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Abstract

Hepatitis C virus is a Flaviviridae family RNA virus that causes Hepatitis C. The Hepatitis C virus is a major health problem worldwide and remains a vital cause of chronic hepatitis. This study was aimed at detecting the prevalence of HCV infection in the adult population of district Mardan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan. The blood samples from 300 individuals were evaluated for antibodies using a 3rd generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Out of 300 serum samples, 34.3% were found positive for HCV infection. In Sex-wise study, male showed 33.3% prevalence while female possessed 35.7% of the prevalence of Hepatitis C virus. The overall rate of the hepatitis C virus was high in rural areas 19.6% as matched to the urban areas 14.6%. The overall prevalence of hepatitis C infection in literate patients was lower 14.3% as paralleled to illiterate patients 20%. The overall percentage of hepatitis C infection in married patients was high 23% while in unmarried, patients’ prevalence was lower 11.33%. The prevalence of hepatitis C virus was high in age group 41-60 which was 15% while low in age group above 60 which was 7%. Necessary measures should be agreed out in this region towards the control of the infection. The goal of this study was to determine the prevalence of the hepatitis C virus and to educate the public about its harmful effects.