Open AccessDEMOGRAPHIC, CLINICAL AND VIROLOGICAL PROFILE OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HEPATITIS C VIRUS INFECTION
Author(s) -
Subash Bhattarai,
Dharm Raj Bhatta,
Binayak Gautam
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
journal of chitwan medical college
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2091-2889
pISSN - 2091-2412
DOI - 10.54530/jcmc.625
Subject(s) - medicine , cirrhosis , hepatocellular carcinoma , hepatitis c virus , viral load , viral hepatitis , hepatitis c , genotype , hepatitis , virus , gastroenterology , immunology , biochemistry , chemistry , gene
Background: Chronic Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major public health issue worldwide. Chronic HCV is an important cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatitis C infection is not uncommon in Nepal. This research was meant to study the demographic, clinical presentation, and virological profile of patients with chronic hepatitis C attending a teaching hospital in Western Nepal.Methods: A hospital-based, cross-sectional study was conducted over a year from January 2021 and December 2021 among 66 consecutive patients with hepatitis C infection. Demographic and clinical profile of the patients alongside their liver enzymes, viral load, and genotypes at the time of presentation were studied. Descriptive analysis was done using SPSS version 20.Results: The mean age of subjects was 34±10.42 years with male predominance (M: F=2.3:1). The majority was from rural areas and belonged to low-middle socioeconomic status. Injecting drug use was the most common mode of infection. The majority of patients had no symptoms related to liver diseases. About one-fourth of the patients had cirrhosis of liver. High viral load (HCV RNA> 800,000 IU/ml) was detected in 42.4% patients. The mean HCV RNA was 1348,500 ±1052 IU/ml. Genotype 3a was the most common, followed by genotype 1a.Conclusions: Hepatitis C virus infection was common in young patients (aged <40 years) especially among injecting drug users. Most of the patients had no symptoms related to liver diseases. Cirrhosis was observed in about one-fourth patients. Genotype 3a was the most common, followed by genotype 1a.