Hepatitis B and C Viruses, Their Coinfection and Correlations in Chronic Liver Disease Patients: A Tertiary Care Hospital Study

INTRODUCTION: There has been a rapid increase in the cases of viral hepatitis in Malwa region of Punjab. Quantification of seroprevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV)/hepatitis C virus (HCV) and their coinfection among liver disease patients in tertiary care settings is needed to know the associated disease burden. AIM: The aim of this study is to analyze the seroprevalence of HBV, HCV, their coinfection, and implications in liver disease patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective study was conducted from June 2015 to August 2015 on a total of 100 chronic liver disease (CLD) patients. Venous blood samples were tested for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and anti-HCV antibodies by performing required serological tests using sandwich ELISA technique and solid-phase immunochromatography. RESULTS: Out of 100 cases, 80 (80%) were male and 20 (20%) were female with mean age of 47.44 ± 14.56 years. Out of 100 cases of hepatic disorders, 26 were HBsAg positive and 40 were anti-HCV positive. Majority of the HBsAg-positive cases had alcohol as a risk factor (27%) and were diagnosed with cirrhosis (38.5%). Maximum number of anti-HCV-positive cases had blood transfusion as risk factor (30%) and were diagnosed with cirrhosis (45%). Out of total 62 seropositive cases, 4 had coinfection of HBV and HCV. Coinfected patients did not demonstrate greater risk of developing cirrhosis or progressing to hepatocellular carcinoma than mono-infected patients. CONCLUSION: HBV and HCV are the major causes of CLD at the place of study. Patients with dual HBV and HCV infection do not have greater risk of developing cirrhosis or progressing to HCC than mono-infected patients.