Epidemiology, Clinical Characteristics, and Management Status of Hepatitis B: A Cross-sectional Study in a Tertiary Care Hospital at Karachi, Pakistan

Abstract

BackgroundHepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a serious health problem in Pakistan. In view of the serious socioeconomic consequences, identifying patient characteristics and the current treatment for the disease will enhance HBV regulation and its medical management.AimsTo describe the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and current management status of patients infected by HBV.MethodsWe undertook an observational, cross-sectional, and epidemiological study at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, during the period from January 2014 to November 2017. Male and female patients of any age and with documentation for an HBV infection were eligible for inclusion in the study. An HBV infection was defined as a positive hepatitis B surface antigen test.ResultsA total of 500 patients were analyzed. The mean age at presentation was 29.86±13.68 years. The majority of the patients (25.6%) were ethnically Sindhi followed by Pathan (24.4%), indicating a high prevalence among the rural-based population of Pakistan. The mean duration of the disease was 3.51±4.46 years. The most common cause for the spread was positive family history (40.4%) followed by roadside barbers (30.0%). Most patients were Child-Pugh (CP) class A (84.6%) and the median Modified End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score was 7. Upper gastrointestinal bleeding was the most frequent hepatic complication (6.2%). Antiviral medications had been received by 18.6% of patients previously. Peg-interferon (6.0%) was the major antiviral medication prescribed to treatment-experienced patients.ConclusionsThis observational, real-life study has identified some gaps between clinical practice and guideline recommendations in Pakistan. To achieve better health outcomes, several improvements, such as disease monitoring and optimizing antiviral regimens, should be made to improve disease management.

Demographics, Biochemical Characteristics, and Phases of Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection: Retrospective Analysis From a Secondary Care Setup

“…The phases are presented in Table 1. [13][14][15][16][17]. The aforementioned studies have all featured a male predominance among HBV-infected patients and the mean age was between 20-40 years, which is comparable to our cohort.…”

Seroprevalence and awareness of hepatitis B infection among the students of Sindh university, Jamshoro.

“…The HBV prevalence among the enrolled subjects was 5.24% (Table 1) and these infected subjects were having no knowledge of their HBV status. Similarly, a study conducted at a tertiary care hospital, Karachi reported that the subjects diagnosed with HBV were mainly students 11 . Another study conducted in Uganda, showed high prevalence of HBV among students 12 .…”

“…1455 were involved sharing personal items (comb, nail cutter, razors, towel, food pots and cosmetics). A study reported, roadside barbers as the major source of HBV spread after positive family history, followed by dental extraction, blood transfusion and Tattoos etc 11 .…”

Arrhythmia in Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Six-Month Retrospective Analysis From the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases

“…Secondly, almost all smokers were men, which reduced survival in men and, conversely, the absence of smokers among women improved survival rates. Men also have easier and greater access to healthcare facilities, which might have contributed to their predominant numbers [ 13 ]; however, despite previous reports, this remains an expert opinion at best.…”