The Prevalence of Hepatitis B and C among the Passively Screened Population and Blood Donors in Haryana, India: A Retrospective Analysis

Abstract

Background. Hepatitis B and C are significant problems in India, especially in certain hotspots such as Haryana state. Since the data derived from the large-scale studies are unavailable, reports from individual centers or blood bank data are largely relied on to get a glimpse of the prevalence rate in India. This retrospective study aims to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis B and C based on the data collected from blood banks and passive screening of patients at PGIMS, Rohtak.
Methods. The first half of the dataset which contains routine hepatitis B and C test results was derived from blood banks. The other half of dataset was derived from the passive screening of patients from various outpatient departments and inpatient wards. The samples collected during the passive screening were tested for the positivity for HBsAg or anti-HCV antibody using ELISA tests.
Results. Analysis of the blood bank data revealed that the prevalence rates of HBsAg and anti-HCV antibody positivity were 0.80% and 0.81%, respectively, whereas the rates of the same derived from passive screening data were 5.23% and 5.18%, respectively. Conclusion. The blood bank data did not depict the exact prevalence of hepatitis B and C. Concerns remain as they could possibly underestimate the rates. As opposed to that, the prevalence rates of passive screening data might possibly resemble to the genuine prevalence. Although it is sometimes inevitable to rely on blood bank data due to data paucity, cautiousness must be exercised when it comes to using this kind of data.