Author/Authors :
Umar, Muhammad Department of Medicine - Rawalpindi Medical College - Holy Family Hospital - Rawalpindi, Pakistan , tul-Bushra, Hamama Department of Medicine - Rawalpindi Medical College - Holy Family Hospital - Rawalpindi, Pakistan , Ahmad, Masood Department of Medicine - Rawalpindi Medical College - Holy Family Hospital - Rawalpindi, Pakistan , Khurram, Muhammad Department of Medicine - Rawalpindi Medical College - Holy Family Hospital - Rawalpindi, Pakistan , Usman, Saima Department of Medicine - Rawalpindi Medical College - Holy Family Hospital - Rawalpindi, Pakistan , Arif, Mohammad Department of Medicine - Rawalpindi Medical College - Holy Family Hospital - Rawalpindi, Pakistan , Adam, Tashfeen Department of Medicine - Rawalpindi Medical College - Holy Family Hospital - Rawalpindi, Pakistan , Minhas, Zahid Department of Medicine - Rawalpindi Medical College - Holy Family Hospital - Rawalpindi, Pakistan , Arif, Adnan Department of Medicine - Rawalpindi Medical College - Holy Family Hospital - Rawalpindi, Pakistan , Naeem, Abdul Department of Medicine - Rawalpindi Medical College - Holy Family Hospital - Rawalpindi, Pakistan , Ejaz, Khushnud Department of Medicine - Rawalpindi Medical College - Holy Family Hospital - Rawalpindi, Pakistan , Butt, Zameer Department of Medicine - Rawalpindi Medical College - Holy Family Hospital - Rawalpindi, Pakistan , Bilal, Muhammad Department of Medicine - Rawalpindi Medical College - Holy Family Hospital - Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Abstract :
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is increasingly recognized as a major health care problem, and is found frequently
in Pakistani settings. In this article we reviewed published and unpublished data related to the seroepidemiology of
HCV infection in Pakistan. For this article, data from 132 published studies and three unpublished data sets published/
presented between the period 1992-2008 were utilized. Data of 1,183,329 individuals were gathered. Blood donors
(982,481) and the general population (178,322) constituted the majority of these subjects. The frequency of HCV infection
in blood donors and in the general population was 3.0 % (95% CI: 3.0- 3.1) and 4.7 (95% CI: 4.6 -4.8), respectively. The
frequency among 6,148 pregnant females was 7.3% (95% CI = 6.7 – 8.0). The frequency in healthy children ranged from
0.4 to 4.1% (95% CI = 1.4 – 2.3). Pakistani HCV serofrequency figures are significantly higher (P < 0.0001) compared to
those of the corresponding populations in surrounding countries like India, Nepal, Myanmar, Iran and Afghanistan.
Keywords :
Hepatitis C Virus , Anti-HCV , Pakistan , Serofrequency
