Prevalence and risk factors of hepatitis B and C in Bahawalpur: a hospital-based study

Hepatitis causes inflammation of the liver. The World Health Organization set a goal to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030 due to an increase in the number of deaths from liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of hepatitis B and C among the general population of Bahawalpur, along with various recognized risk factors. Samples were collected from December 2021 to May 2022. In total, 263 blood samples were collected from the patients who visited Bahawalpur Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur Pakistan. A rapid diagnostic test (ICT) was used to diagnose Hepatitis B surface antigen and anti-HCV, followed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 22. In total, 263 samples were tested; 5.3% (14/263) tested positive for HBV, 25.4% (67/263) tested positive for HCV, and 0.76% (2/263) were co-infected. The study found a significant association between illiteracy 24% (63/263) and literacy 7.6% (20/263) (P = 0.001), age (31-40 years) 11% (29/263) (P = 0.027), hospitalization 38% (100/263) versus non-hospitalization 62% (163/263) (P = 0.008), and patients who had received any dental treatment 20.9% (55/263) versus those who had not 79.1% (208/263) (P = 0.057). According to the study, people who frequently visited hospitals received no medical care and were unaware of the causes of disease transmission, made them more susceptible to infection. The study will help formulate policies and adopt precautionary measures to control the increasing incidence of hepatitis B and C in Pakistan.