Detecting the Prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus among Iraqi People
Background: Infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major public health issue worldwide and remains a vital etiology of long-term hepatitis. This study aimed to detect the prevalence of HCV infection among Iraqi people. This research was proposed to detect the frequency of HCV infection in r...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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International Medical Research and Development Corporation
2023-06-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Biomedicine |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.ijbm.org/articles/i50/ijbm_13(2)_oa5.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797807366615334912 |
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| author | Hasan Abd Ali Khudhair Ali A. H. Albakaa Khwam R. Hussein |
| author_facet | Hasan Abd Ali Khudhair Ali A. H. Albakaa Khwam R. Hussein |
| author_sort | Hasan Abd Ali Khudhair |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major public health issue worldwide and remains a vital etiology of long-term hepatitis. This study aimed to detect the prevalence of HCV infection among Iraqi people. This research was proposed to detect the frequency of HCV infection in renal failure patients, thalassemia patients, blood donors, and Iraqi medical staff. Such prevalence potentially could assist in the development of a preventive program for this infection and orient future studies.
Methods and Results: Cross-sectional research was conducted in Thi-Qar Province (Iraq). The enrolled 1650 individuals (1180 males and 470 females, age range of 1-85 years) were classified into four study groups. Group 1 included 120 patients with renal failure, Group 2 included 220 patients suffering from thalassemia, Group 3 included 1259 blood donor subjects, and Group 4 included 51 subjects from the medical staff. Serum anti-HCV-IgG-Abs were detected qualitatively by a human HCV-IgG-ELISA Kit (MyBioSource, USA). The findings revealed that out of 1650 subjects, only 53(3.2%) were infected with HCV. The highest prevalence was reported among thalassemia patients 34/220(15.45%), followed by renal failure patients 8/120(6.66%) and then the medical staff group 3/51(5.88%), whereas the lowest prevalence was reported among the blood donor group 8/1259(0.64%). The total infection rate of HCV was higher among males [33/53(62.3%)] than females [20/53(37.7%)], with significant differences (P<0.05). We found a significant difference in HCV infection rate according to the age range of the study subjects (P<0.05). The higher infection percentages of 29/53(54.7%) and 15/53(28.3%) were found in age groups of 1-20 years and 21-40 years, respectively, followed by the age group of 41-60 years, which had infection percentages of 7/53(13.2%), while the lowest infection rate was reported in the age group of more than 60 years, which was 2/53(3.8%).
Conclusion: The frequency rate of HCV infection among Iraqi people is similar to those in most Asian and non-Asian studied populations, and the infection rate was higher in males and inversely correlated with the age of the subjects. The main routes of HCV infection were blood transfusions, renal dialysis, and HCWs. Thalassemic and hemodialysis patients were potentially vulnerable to HCV infection. Effective screening methods and blood donor screening protocols are likely required to prevent the spread of HCV infection. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T06:21:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3d8819ba7033476ea43b40ca00ef20e4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2158-0510 2158-0529 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T06:21:31Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | International Medical Research and Development Corporation |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Biomedicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-3d8819ba7033476ea43b40ca00ef20e42023-06-09T17:40:10ZengInternational Medical Research and Development CorporationInternational Journal of Biomedicine2158-05102158-05292023-06-0113223424010.21103/Article13(2)_OA5Detecting the Prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus among Iraqi PeopleHasan Abd Ali Khudhair0Ali A. H. Albakaa1Khwam R. Hussein2Al-Nasiriyah Technical Institute, Southern Technical University, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, IraqAl-Nasiriyah Technical Institute, Southern Technical University, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, IraqAl-Nasiriyah Technical Institute, Southern Technical University, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, IraqBackground: Infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major public health issue worldwide and remains a vital etiology of long-term hepatitis. This study aimed to detect the prevalence of HCV infection among Iraqi people. This research was proposed to detect the frequency of HCV infection in renal failure patients, thalassemia patients, blood donors, and Iraqi medical staff. Such prevalence potentially could assist in the development of a preventive program for this infection and orient future studies. Methods and Results: Cross-sectional research was conducted in Thi-Qar Province (Iraq). The enrolled 1650 individuals (1180 males and 470 females, age range of 1-85 years) were classified into four study groups. Group 1 included 120 patients with renal failure, Group 2 included 220 patients suffering from thalassemia, Group 3 included 1259 blood donor subjects, and Group 4 included 51 subjects from the medical staff. Serum anti-HCV-IgG-Abs were detected qualitatively by a human HCV-IgG-ELISA Kit (MyBioSource, USA). The findings revealed that out of 1650 subjects, only 53(3.2%) were infected with HCV. The highest prevalence was reported among thalassemia patients 34/220(15.45%), followed by renal failure patients 8/120(6.66%) and then the medical staff group 3/51(5.88%), whereas the lowest prevalence was reported among the blood donor group 8/1259(0.64%). The total infection rate of HCV was higher among males [33/53(62.3%)] than females [20/53(37.7%)], with significant differences (P<0.05). We found a significant difference in HCV infection rate according to the age range of the study subjects (P<0.05). The higher infection percentages of 29/53(54.7%) and 15/53(28.3%) were found in age groups of 1-20 years and 21-40 years, respectively, followed by the age group of 41-60 years, which had infection percentages of 7/53(13.2%), while the lowest infection rate was reported in the age group of more than 60 years, which was 2/53(3.8%). Conclusion: The frequency rate of HCV infection among Iraqi people is similar to those in most Asian and non-Asian studied populations, and the infection rate was higher in males and inversely correlated with the age of the subjects. The main routes of HCV infection were blood transfusions, renal dialysis, and HCWs. Thalassemic and hemodialysis patients were potentially vulnerable to HCV infection. Effective screening methods and blood donor screening protocols are likely required to prevent the spread of HCV infection.http://www.ijbm.org/articles/i50/ijbm_13(2)_oa5.pdfhepatitis c virusblood transfusionsthalassemiarenal dialysis |
| spellingShingle | Hasan Abd Ali Khudhair Ali A. H. Albakaa Khwam R. Hussein Detecting the Prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus among Iraqi People International Journal of Biomedicine hepatitis c virus blood transfusions thalassemia renal dialysis |
| title | Detecting the Prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus among Iraqi People |
| title_full | Detecting the Prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus among Iraqi People |
| title_fullStr | Detecting the Prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus among Iraqi People |
| title_full_unstemmed | Detecting the Prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus among Iraqi People |
| title_short | Detecting the Prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus among Iraqi People |
| title_sort | detecting the prevalence of hepatitis c virus among iraqi people |
| topic | hepatitis c virus blood transfusions thalassemia renal dialysis |
| url | http://www.ijbm.org/articles/i50/ijbm_13(2)_oa5.pdf |
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