Department of Medicine, Foundation University Medical College, Foundation University Islamabad, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Multidisciplinary Lab, Foundation University Medical College, Foundation University Islamabad, Islamabad, Pakistan.
J Med Virol. 2020 Dec;92(12):3499-3506. doi: 10.1002/jmv.25926. Epub 2020 Jun 24.
Pakistan has the second-highest burden of hepatitis C patients in the world. A total of 683 individuals, who visited the Liver Clinic during the study period, were screened for the presence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. A total of 534 individuals who showed positive HCV infection were grouped into the case group and 149 individuals with HCV negative status were grouped into the control group. A detailed questionnaire was used to collect demographic, clinical, HCV risk factor, and familial clustering data. HCV familial clustering was found in 30.1% in the case group compared with 17.4% in the control group. We also found 17% of patients had spouses who were also infected with HCV compared to 4% spouse infection in the control group. Only 3.7% of patients had HCV positive mothers. These results were further expanded by regression analysis that showed that family history and sexual history are independent risk factors for transmission of hepatitis C infection and mother's history has no significance as a risk factor for transmission. The major risk factor for getting HCV infection are dental procedures, unsafe injections, surgery, and blood transfusions. There is a strong need to increase awareness about HCV transmission routes among positive patients to reduce the chances of HCV familial clustering.
巴基斯坦是世界上丙型肝炎患者负担第二大的国家。在研究期间，共有 683 名前往肝脏诊所就诊的个体接受了丙型肝炎病毒 (HCV) 感染的筛查。共有 534 名显示 HCV 阳性感染的个体被分为病例组，149 名 HCV 阴性状态的个体被分为对照组。使用详细的问卷收集人口统计学、临床、HCV 危险因素和家族聚集数据。在病例组中发现 HCV 家族聚集的比例为 30.1%，而对照组为 17.4%。我们还发现，17%的患者的配偶也感染了 HCV，而对照组中只有 4%的配偶感染。只有 3.7%的患者的母亲 HCV 阳性。回归分析进一步扩大了这些结果，表明家族史和性史是丙型肝炎感染传播的独立危险因素，而母亲的病史作为传播的危险因素没有意义。感染 HCV 的主要危险因素是牙科手术、不安全的注射、手术和输血。非常有必要提高阳性患者对 HCV 传播途径的认识，以降低 HCV 家族聚集的机会。
