Studies on Hepatitis C Virus Prevalence Rate among HIV Positive and HIV Negative Patients of Tertiary Health Facility

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a hepatotropic virus which is one of the major causes of liver disease and a potential cause of substantial morbidity and mortality worldwide. The virus, estimated to infect about 3% of the world population, is primarily transmitted through the parenteral route which includes injection drug use, blood transfusion, unsafe injection practices, and other healthcare related procedures. HCV causes acute hepatitis which is mostly subclinical, but which gradually evolves into chronic hepatitis in about 80% of those infected. HCV infected people are at risk for developing chronic liver disease (CLD), cirrhosis, and primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). It has been estimated that HCV accounts for 27% of cirrhosis and 25% of HCC worldwide. This work evaluated the prevalence rate of hepatitis C virus among patients of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital (COOUTH), Awka in Anambra state Nigeria. For the purpose of this study, two hundred (200) venous blood samples were drawn from patients (80 males and 120 females) in the ART and GOPD phlebotomy units and screened with in vitro anti HCV strip for qualitative diagnosis. 100 out the 200 samples were HIV positive samples whereas 100 remaining samples weren’t. At the end, results showed 11 positive samples out of the 200 patients screened. That is, 5.5% of the study population were infected with hepatitis C virus. 5 out of the 11 positive samples (2.5%) were HIV positive while 6(3%) of the total positive were not. Of the 6 age groups (200 samples) tested for HCV, age groups (25-34) and (45-54) had the highest number of infection i.e. 3 (4.9%) and 3(11.1%) respectively. Age groups 15-24 and 55-64 had 2(5.4%) and 2(11.1%) each. While in (35-44) age group, only 1(2.3%) person was infected and none was infected in those 65 years and above. Then, while 7 (63.6%) of the HCV positive population were male, 4 (36.4%) were female. Of the 11 persons infected with hepatitis C, 72% had multiple sex partners,45% had HIV,18% had tattoos, and 9% had been transfused in the past. Howbeit, HCV has no preventive vaccines; hence the call for greater awareness, public education and encouragement of early diagnosis to curb the prevalence rate of HCV.