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Seroepidemiology and risk factors of hepatitis C virus infection in East Azerbaijan, Iran: a population-based Azar Cohort study
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Ali Asghar Pouri  , Morteza Ghojazadeh , Behrouz Pourasghari , Babak Baiaz , Fatemeh Soghra Hamzavi , Mohammad Hossein Somi * |
| Liver and Gastrointestinal Diseases Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran , dr.somi.m.h@gmail.com |
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Abstract: (4579 Views) |
Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a blood-borne virus. It is a major global public health problem and can cause both acute and chronic hepatitis. The aim of this study was to report the epidemiological features of HCV infection and risk factors based on the data from Azar Cohort, East Azerbaijan province, Iran.
Methods: The population of this study comprised the people in the age range of 35-70 years from Azar Cohort, East Azerbaijan province, Iran. The study was conducted between 2015 and 2016. Based on cluster sampling, 4, 949 people were selected and invited to complete the questionnaire and perform the tests. Blood samples collected in this study were analyzed to detect the presence of antibodies against HCV using enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) Kit. The positive samples were re-tested by qualitative HCV-RNA polymerase chain reaction. All data were analyzed using SPSS version 19.0 software.
Results: The mean age of the participants was 49.15±9.02 years. Of these participants, 54.3% (n=2686) were females. Seven people (0.14%) were detected as HCV positive and the highest frequency was seen in the age range of 40-50 (0.16%). There was a statistical significant relationship between history of hospitalization (P=0.02) and history of abnormal urine (P=0.01) with the frequency of HCV infection.
Conclusion: The findings of this study indicated that the frequency of hepatitis C virus infection is 0.14% in the general population of Azar Cohort. |
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| Keywords: Hepatitis C, Seroepidemiology, Azar Cohort, Iran |
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Full-Text [PDF 318 kb]
(917 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Original Article |
Subject:
Infectious Diseases
Received: 2018/12/27 | Accepted: 2019/05/20 | Published: 2019/07/27
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