SCREENING OF HEPATITIS B AND C AMONG PEOPLE VISITING GENERAL PRACTICE CLINICS IN A RURAL DISTRICT OF SINDH, PAKISTAN
Abstract
Background: Hepatitis B (HB), Hepatitis C (HC) and their risk factors are amongst the major healthproblems in developing countries including Pakistan. This study aimed to screen for HB and HC
among people who visited General Practice clinics and also to identify the differences of screening
positive cases by age and sex. Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted in Tando
Muhammad Khan city, one of the rural districts of Sindh. All together we reviewed 5989 laboratory
reports of people for hepatitis B and C on consecutive basis from two laboratories. A pre-designed and
structured perform was used to collect the required information. Chi-squared test and univariate
analysis was calculated to assess the difference in HB and HC proportion by age groups and sex.
Results: One-fourth of reports were positive for at least one entity whereas 8% and 17% of reviewed
reports of adults (>18 years and above) were screened positive for HB and HC respectively. Positive
screened tests were higher among older age group compared to young age group (HB: older age
group=56.6% vs. younger age group=43.4%; OR=1.07) and (HC: older age group=58.3% vs. younger
age group=41.7%; OR=1.08). In the same way, positive screened tests were higher among men
compared to women (HB: men=67.0% vs. women=33.0%; OR=1.2) and (HC: men=62.0% vs.
women=38.0%; OR=1.3). Conclusion: A large proportion of people were screened positive for HB
and HC in this study. Prevention and screening are suggested at larger scale for urgent planning and
implementation of intervention strategies in this regard. Further research is also recommended to
explore this important health issue at large scale.
Keywords: Screening, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, General Practice
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