Reporting the Undiagnosed Cases of Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C Viruses among Patients Undergoing Elective Eye Surgery in a Specialized Eye Hospital in Egypt

INTRODUCTION: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) and their long-term sequelae are considered a major health issue in Egypt. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of undiagnosed hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) among patients admitted for elective eye surgery in a specialized eye hospital in Cairo, Egypt. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in a specialized eye hospital, Cairo, Egypt. The study included consecutive patients admitted for elective eye surgery in the period from April 2015 to June 2016. Age, sex, and procedure done were recorded for all patients. All the subjects were screened for HBV and HCV by rapid chromatography immunoassay; if positive, the results had to be confirmed by ELISA. RESULTS: 3067 patients admitted for elective eye surgery were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 50.85 ± 19.77 years. There were 1592 (51.9%) males and 1475 (48.1%) females. The prevalence of preoperative positive HBV and HCV was 7/3067 (0.2%) and 381/3067 (12.4%), respectively. CONCLUSION: Given the high prevalence of HBV and HCV infection in our population in general and in this study specifically, all patients admitted for surgery should be screened for both viruses.