Frequency of Hepatitis B in Civil Hospital District Khairpur Province of Sindh, Pakistan

Abstract

Objective: Viral hepatitis B stays to be a chief health problem in Pakistan’s Sindh province which encourages retrospective evaluation of the current frequency of its occurrence.

Study Design: Prospective study

Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at the Civil Hospital district Khairpur, Sindh province of Pakistan in period of 15 years from Jan 01, 2007 to Aug 30, 2021.

Materials and Methods: A total of 860,470 individuals of both sexes were screened for HBsAg in Civil Hospital Khairpur, encompassing the period of 15 years. HBsAg as a marker of HBV was considered in all serum samples which were tested using the Roche COBAS CORE HBsAg-II EIA system. SPSS version 23 was used for data entry and analysis.

Results: The prevalence of Hepatitis B (HBV) was analyzed over the period of fifteen years (2007-2021), in our study. In 2007, (16.0%) HBV was reported. It was seen that the prevalence of HBV were more than ten percent from 2007-2011. In 2012, it was (6.4%). But, after 2015, HBV was gradually decreasing. Therefore, in 2021, only (4.2%) was observed. The Linear forecasting trend line showed the decreasing trend.

Conclusion: HBsAg positivity in Khairpur has steadily decreased in frequency from 16% positive cases in 2007 to 4.2% positive cases in 2021.