A CROSS-SECTIONAL SCREENING OF SEROPREVALANCE OF HEPATIS B AND C AMONG PATIENTS VISITING COMMUNITY PHARMACIES OF SOUTH PUNJAB-PAKISTAN

Zunaira Akbar, Zunaira Akbar A CROSS-SECTIONAL SCREENING OF SEROPREVALANCE OF HEPATIS B AND C AMONG PATIENTS VISITING COMMUNITY PHARMACIES OF SOUTH PUNJAB-PAKISTAN. International medical journal.

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Abstract

Hepatitis has become a foremost health concerns worldwide. Majority of the infected
population remain unaware of their disease status due to non-screening practices. The aim of present study
was to evaluate the prevalence of undetected cases and practices regarding Hepatitis B & Hepatitis C among
patients attending community pharmacies of southern Punjab, Pakistan. A cross sectional study was
conducted for the duration of three months from January to March, 2017 using a structured, validated
questionnaire. Rapid diagnostic kits were utilized for screening of patients from selected community
pharmacies of two big cities of South Punjab, Pakistan. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied for
data analysis by using SPSS version 20.0. P value <0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.
Among total 794 respondents, 565 (71.2%) were males and 229 (28.8%) were females. Prevalence of
undetected HBV cases was 2.01% (n = 16) and for HCV was 5.41% (n = 43). Results showed poor practices
of respondents with mean practice score of 2.54/6 (±1.581). Study emphasized the need of educational
programs along with motivational campaigns to persuade people for regular screening of HBV & HCV that
will prove beneficial in early diagnosis and management of the disease.

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