Memon Muhammad Rafique, Shaikh Altaf Ahmed, Soomro Aftab Ahmed, Arshad Saima, Shah Qarib Abbas
Department of Surgery, Ghulam Muhammad Mahar Medical College Hospital, Sukkur, Pakistan.
J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad. 2010 Apr-Jun;22(2):167-70.
Viral Hepatitis (HBV and HCV) is a major health problem affecting approximately two billion population worldwide. It is one of the single most important cause of chronic liver disease and hepato-cellular carcinoma in Pakistan and worldwide and is now spreading beyond endemic dimensions. This study was carried out to assess the frequency of Hepatitis B and C infection in patients undergoing elective surgical operations, and to evaluate the associated risk factors.
This was a descriptive study, conducted at Surgical Department of Ghulam Muhammad Mahar Medical College Hospital, Sukkur, from April 2009 to March 2010. All patients who were admitted in the Surgical Department for elective surgical operations were included in the study. The patients were screened for HBsAg and Anti-HCV using immunochromatography (ICT) method. Those who were weak positive by ICT were further confirmed by ELISA.
Total 913 patients were admitted in Surgical Department during study period for elective operations and were screened for HBsAg and Anti-HCV. Out of these, 572 (62.65%) were male and 341 (37.34%) were female. Mean age of these patients was 40 years. After screening, 33 (3.61%) patients were found HBsAg positive and 117 (12.8%) were Anti-HCV positive, while 9 (0.98%) were positive for both. Hepatitis-B was found in 21 (2.3%) males and 12 (1.3%) females, and Hepatitis-C was found in 68 (7.44%) males and 49 (5.36%) female patients. Parenteral injections by quacks, previous surgery, blood transfusion and shaving by barbers were found to be the risk factors.
Our message is: 'Prevention is better than cure'. It is essential to prevent spread of Hepatitis B and C by screening every patient before surgery and counselling the patients. The doctors and paramedical staff must follow proper ethical practice ensuring use of sterile disposables where indicated and protecting patients and themselves from these viral infections.
病毒性肝炎（乙肝和丙肝）是一个重大的健康问题，影响着全球约二十亿人口。它是巴基斯坦乃至全球慢性肝病和肝细胞癌的最重要单一病因之一，且目前正超出地方流行范围传播。本研究旨在评估接受择期外科手术患者中乙肝和丙肝感染的频率，并评估相关危险因素。
这是一项描述性研究，于2009年4月至2010年3月在苏库尔古拉姆·穆罕默德·马哈医学院医院外科进行。所有因择期外科手术入住外科的患者均纳入研究。采用免疫层析法（ICT）对患者进行乙肝表面抗原（HBsAg）和抗丙肝病毒（Anti-HCV）筛查。ICT弱阳性者进一步用酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）法确诊。
研究期间共有913例患者因择期手术入住外科并接受HBsAg和Anti-HCV筛查。其中，男性572例（62.65%），女性341例（37.34%）。这些患者的平均年龄为40岁。筛查后，发现33例（3.61%）患者HBsAg阳性，117例（12.8%）抗-HCV阳性，9例（0.98%）两者均阳性。乙肝在21例（2.3%）男性和12例（1.3%）女性中被发现，丙肝在68例（7.44%）男性和49例（5.36%）女性患者中被发现。发现庸医进行的非正规注射、既往手术、输血和理发师剃须是危险因素。
我们要传达的信息是：“预防胜于治疗”。在手术前对每位患者进行筛查并为患者提供咨询，对于预防乙肝和丙肝的传播至关重要。医生和医护人员必须遵循适当的道德规范，确保在有指征时使用无菌一次性用品，并保护患者和自身免受这些病毒感染。
