Clinico-epidemiological Patterns, Risk Factors, and Seroprevalence of Hepatitis C in Patients Attending a Tertiary Care Center in North India.

Introduction: The hepatitis C virus is an important cause of chronic hepatitis and primary hepatocellular carcinomas. Early treatment of HCV infection, especially in the acute phase, can facilitate elimination of the virus and prevent chronic infection. This will limit HCV-related liver damage and mortality. This study provides the current clinical-epidemiologic pattern, risk factors and seroprevalence of hepatitis C in clinical suspected cases attending different departments of a tertiary care centre.

Methods: The study was conducted for a period of 1 year (March 2023 to March 2024) in the Department of Microbiology, AIIMS, Raebareli. After obtaining ethical clearance, serum samples were collected from all patients referred to the Department of Microbiology to determine antibodies against HCV. An ELISA was performed for anti-HCV antibodies and HBsAg. The results and relevant clinical information were noted and analysed.

Results: Of the 16911 samples, 127 (0.75%) were positive for anti-HCV antibodies. Of the 127 anti-HCV positive samples, 88 (69.3%) samples had an S/Co ratio >5.0, while 39 (30.7%) samples had an S/Co ratio <5.0. Majority of the cases were in the age group 46-60 years (31%), followed by the age group 31-45 years (26.%) and 61-75 years (26.%). The number of male cases (55.91%) was slightly higher than female cases (44.09%). In our study, serum bilirubin was elevated in 29.8% (29/127) of anti-HCV seropositive patients, alanine transaminase (ALT) was elevated in 56.7% (72/127) of seropositive patients and 49.6% (63/127) of seropositive patients had elevated aspartate transaminase (AST). A history of surgery (30.9%) was the most important risk factor in the seropositive patients.

Conclusion: The study shows the seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus in patients with clinical suspicion, with 0.75% of samples testing positive for anti-HCV antibodies. Most positive cases were observed in adults aged 46-60 years, with elevated ALT and AST levels found in several seropositive patients. Surgical history has emerged as a notable risk factor.