Trend Analysis of Hepatitis B and C Virus Infections among Patients at Ambo General Hospital, West Shoa, Ethiopia: Retrospective Study

BackgroundHepatitis B and C viruses affect the liver and can cause wider range of disease outcomes. Chronic HBV and/or HCV infection leaves a person susceptible to major liver diseases such liver cirrhosis or hepatic cell cancer later in life. They bear the greater portion of the mortality and morbidity associated with hepatocellular carcinomas and liver cirrhosis. MethodsA retrospective laboratory record review was conducted at Ambo General Hospital from January 2018 to December 2021. The retrieved data included the date of examination, age, sex and laboratory results of the HBV and HCV. Data were summarized and presented in the form of tables, figures, and frequencies to present the results. The data were analyzed using SPSS and Microsoft Excel. ResultsOver the course of 4 years, a total of 5675 individuals were examined for hepatitis at Ambo general hospital. Of the total individuals examined, 365(6.4%) and 15(2.1%) were positive for HBV and HCV respectively. HBV and HCV mixed infections accounted for 0.6% of the cases. HBV was highest prevalent in males (12.1%) than females (5.72%), while among seropositive of HCV, 7(5.7%) were males and 4(1.0%) were females. HBV and HCV were more prevalent among individuals aged from 45-54 years old 11(11.6%) and 35-44 years old 4(5.6%) respectively. A high percentage of HBV (7.1%) and HCV (5.5%) were seen in the years of 2018 and 2020 respectively. ConclusionAccording to WHO criteria, the total prevalence of hepatitis B and C in our study is moderate, and the prevalence of HBV is significantly higher than that of HCV. Although, there are annual fluctuations in the prevalence. As a result, it is critical to improve coverage of services in healthcare facilities and raise community awareness regarding the means of transmission, prevention and control of hepatitis B and C virus infection.