Determining the Prevalence of Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and Other Opportunistic Co-Infection in HIV Infected Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital of North India | Chapter 7 | Issues and Developments in Medicine and Medical Research Vol.10

 Background and Objectives: There is little information on the prevalence and demography of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) co-infection in HIV-positive patients, which leads to increased hepatic problems, morbidity, and mortality.

The goal of this study was to determine the prevalence of HBV and HCV in HIV-positive people who visited a tertiary care hospital in north India.
The participants in this 6-month retrospective analysis included a total of 104 HIV-positive cases (January to June 2019). By using a fast detection method and/or an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), samples were analysed for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and anti-HCV antibodies. HBV DNA and HCV-RNA were evaluated in HBsAg positive serum samples and Anti HCV positive serum samples, respectively. Along with it, other opportunistic illnesses were investigated. The Institutional Ethics Committee have given their approval to this study.
Results: Of the 104 HIV-positive patients investigated, 11 (10.6 percent) were anti-HCV positive, with 7 (63.6%) of these sera containing HCV-RNA. Three people (2.8%) had chronic HBV co-infection (HBsAg positive), and two out of three (66.7%) of the sera were positive for HBV-DNA. Only one patient (0.9 percent) had triple infection with HBV, HCV, and HIV. Sexual promiscuity (76%) was the most prevalent mechanism of transmission, followed by contaminated needle/unknown (13.5%) and a history of I/V drug consumption (13.5%). (10.5 percent ). The Ludhiana district has the highest proportion of patients (38.5%), followed by the Punjabi district of Hoshiarpur.
Conclusions and interpretation: In HIV positive patients, the prevalence of Hepatitis C (anti HCV) and B (HBsAg) was 10.6% and 2.8 percent, respectively, according to our data. In India, co-infection with HBV and HCV is a common concern among HIV patients. In general, HCV-HIV co-infection is more common than HBV-HIV co-infection. As a result, all HIV patients should be checked for Hepatitis B and C indicators on a regular basis.

Author(s) Details:

Dr. Shikha Garg,
 Department of Microbiology, Amar Hospital Patiala, Punjab, India.

Please see the link here: https://stm.bookpi.org/IDMMR-V10/article/view/5819