Prevalence of hepatitis B, and C in a tertiary care center in South India

Aims. To estimate the prevalence of Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C among the tertiary care population of South India. Method. For this study, patients who had a positive diagnosis of hepatitis "B" or "C" at first were chosen. The testing for hepatitis B was confirmed by HBsAg (ELIZA). The testing for hepatitis C was confirmed by an HCV antibody test (anti-HCV) (enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Every positive confirmed test for HBV and HCV patients was selected for this present study. The demographic information, including age and gender, was gathered for additional analysis, and the data was presented as percentages and frequencies. Hepatitis B and C data were compared and displayed as percentages and numbers. The study duration was 13 months from January 2023 to February 2024. Results. 838 patients were found positive for hepatitis B, and C, among them 612 (73%) were found positive for HBV, and 226 (27%) were found positive for HCV. Among the 612 HBV patients, males 429 (70.1%) were higher than females, and 41-60 years (n=200, 46.65%) age groups were higher than other age groups. Among the 612 HBV patients, females were (n=183, 29.9%), and among them, 21-40 years (n=94, 51.4%) age groups were found higher than other age groups. Among the 226 HCV patients, males 188 (83.2%) were higher than females, and 21-40 years (n=102, 54.3%) age groups were higher than other age groups. Among the 226 HCV patients, females were (n=38, 16.8%), and among them, 41-60 years (n=20, 52.6%) age groups were found higher than other age groups. Conclusion. Males were more likely than females to be infected and to have a positive diagnosis of hepatitis B and C. In the hepatitis B study, patients between the ages of 41 and 60 tended to be more male, whereas patients between the ages of 21 and 40 (reproductive age) tended to be more female. The distribution of patients in the hepatitis C study was reversed: more male patients were discovered in the age range of 21-40 years, while more female patients were identified in the age range of 41-60 years (reproductive age).