Frequency Of Peripheral Neuropathy in Chronic Hepatitis C Patients Presenting at Liaquat University Hospital, Hyderabad

Abstract

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and its infective pathogenic role leads to the psychiatric and neurological signs and symptoms. Therefore, close monitoring and regular follow-up is warranted. Objective: To find out the frequency of peripheral neuropathy among patients presenting at Liaquat University Hospital, Hyderabad, having Chronic Hepatitis C. Methods: The cross-sectional study included 359 patients with chronic HCV, aged 20 to 70 years, who presented to the Liaquat University Hospital's Hepatitis Clinic and Outpatient Department of General Medicine and Neurology. Non-probability - sequential sampling was used to choose patients. Patients were asked about demographic information and the duration of chronic HCV after giving informed written consent. The clinical examination was performed to see if there were any reduced tendon reflexes in all of the patient's extremities. To diagnose peripheral neuropathy based on nerve conduction velocity, all patients had an electrophysiological test using a simplified nerve conduction study (NCS) methodology (NCV). The research lasted six months, from June 2021 to December 2021. The information was examined via SPSS version 25.0. Results: There were 219 Men (61%) And 140 Females (39%) among the 359 Patients. The average age (SD) of the participants was 42.3 (8.7) years (range 22–70). HCV infection lasted 36 months on average (range 1–156). Out of 359 patients, 61 had clinical peripheral neuropathy (PN) (17%). Electrophysiological evidence of PN was present in all of these patients, electrophysiological investigation revealed subclinical PN in 19 more patients (5.3%). Conclusion: On the basis of the findings from this study, it can be concluded that a high prevalence of peripheral neuropathy is present among the patients with HCV in our locality. However, an electrophysiological examination should always be done to avoid underestimating PN, particularly in older HCV patients.