Epidemiology of Hepatitis C Infection in Pakistan: Current Estimate and Major Risk Factors

Abstract

In Pakistan, hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major healthcare problem, with acute and chronic infections responsible for liver damage, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Under the Human Development Index of the United Nations, Pakistan is ranked 134th of 174 countries due to its poor educational and health standards. This study was designed to study HCV and its genotype prevalence in different cities and provinces of Pakistan and describe the major routes of HCV transmission. Literature searches were performed in PubMed, Mendeley, and Google Scholar. Ninety different studies were screened for this review, ranging from those published during the years 2000 to 2013. By calculating the mean average of all studies, it was clear that HCV percentage prevalence in the adult population was 11.55%, blood donors 10.10%, pregnant women 4.65%, children 1.6%, patients with different diseases 24.97%, and injecting drug users had the highest prevalence at 51.0%. HCV genotype 3a prevalence was found to be 63.45%, the highest of all genotypes. The percentage prevalence of HCV found for all of the provinces was Punjab: 5.46%, Sindh: 2.55%, Khyber Pakhtoonkhaw: 6.07%, Balochistan: 25.77%, and federally administrated tribal areas: 3.37%. This study shows that the overall prevalence of HCV in the provinces of Pakistan is 8.64% and suggests that the major routes of HCV transmission are reuse of syringes and needles and unchecked blood transfusions. Awareness and economic growth are required to help decrease HCV infection and improve health standards in Pakistan.

Novel Polymorphism in the Promoter Region of HLA-DQB1 Is a Predictor of Anti-HCV Therapy Response

“…In the current study, the most common risk factors associated with HCV infection was injection use, intravenous infusion, and skin piercing. These findings are in concordance with other studies reported from Pakistan and demonstrate the importance of proper public awareness programs to reduce the prevalence of HCV infection in Pakistan (25)(26)(27). In a recent study carried out in Faisalabad, Pakistan, the most prominent risk factor was injecting drug use observed in 51% of HCV patients (27).…”

Anti-viral effect of Indigoferra gerardiana on core protein of HCV and clinical significance of serum markers in chronic HCV genotype 3a patients in district Peshawar

“…Liver disease develops slowly over numerous decades in most of the patients. In Pakistan, chronic HCV is a foremost healthcare challenge resulting liver inflammation, tissue scarring, liver cirrhosis and HCC without treatment [40,41]. Many studies conducted to determine the relationship between severity of biochemical abnormalities and serum viral load and they have produced contradictory results.…”

Update on Transmission Modes of Hepatitis C Virus Among Volunteer Iranian Blood Donors: Analysis of a Matched Case-Control Study by Penalized Conditional Logistic Regression

“…In addition, implementation of some preventive measures, such as raising awareness in the general population and healthcare system about the routes of HCV transmission, requires knowledge about HCV risk factors. Due to the inaccessibility of vaccines for HCV prevention, researchers have focused on the regular analysis of HCV risk factors in different populations to clarify the current routes of HCV transmission around the world (17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26). Overall, the significance of HCV risk factors varies in different populations and regions.…”