Prevalence of Hepatitis B and C viral infections among children and adults presenting with hepatic disease at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital
Abstract
Viral hepatitis may be the cause of infection among children and adults presenting with hepatic disease. The present study sought to establish the prevalence of Hepatitis B and C viral infections among children and adults presenting with hepatic disease at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH). A cross section of 155 patients were recruited from November 2015 to April 2016. Blood samples were collected for the determination of HBsAg and anti-HCV antibodies. Socio-demographic data and clinical information were also collected using structured questionnaires. The HBV profile of HBsAg-positive participants was then determined. The data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel spread sheet and GraphPad Prism. Results: Of the 155 patients recruited, 71 were HBsAg positive, 18 were anti-HCV positive and 4 were both HBV/HCV coinfected. Among the 71 HBsAg positive patients, the prevalence of chronic hepatitis was 66.20%. This was followed by liver cirrhosis, HCC and acute liver failure with a prevalence of 32.39%, 16.90% and 2.82% respectively. In addition to this, among the 18 anti-HCV positive patients, the prevalence of chronic hepatitis was 50%, followed by liver cirrhosis (38.89%), HCC (11.11%) and acute liver failure (11.11%). With the HBV/HCV coinfected patients, the prevalence of chronic hepatitis was 3.37%. This was followed by both liver cirrhosis and HCC with a prevalence of 1.12% each. Conclusion: Hepatic diseases were associated with HBV and HCV infections with the most prevalent being chronic hepatitis. Information about the transmission, prevention and awareness of hepatic diseases should be strengthened by giving health education.
Description
A thesis submitted to the Department of clinical microbiology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Science in Clinical Microbiology,