Background: Egypt has the highest prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in the world. Screening of HCV during pregnancy is not routinely done in Egypt as many other countries, although pregnancy is an important period where screening of HCV infection is important owing to low immunity, the possibility of vertical transmission and later on horizontal transmission to the baby or other household contacts.
Aim: to determine the seroprevalence of HCV antibodies (HCV-Ab) and risk factors associated with infection among pregnant women in Egypt.
Patients and Method: 360 pregnant women visiting the health care units for routine antenatal care were tested using 3rd generation ELISA test for detection of HCV-Ab. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was done for seropositive cases.
Results: 6.1% (22/360) of pregnant women were HCV seropositive; of them only (9/20; 45%) had viraemia. Risk factors were their age, the age of their and the presence of chronic liver disease in the husband.
Conclusion: The prevalence of HCV infection in pregnant women in Egypt appears to be lower than previously reported. The detected risk factors are old age of the pregnant women and their husbands and chronic liver disease in the husbands. None of the other known risk factors was found to be significantly associated with HCV infection in pregnant women.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Materials and methods
- Study design
- Study setting
- Study population
- Data collection
- Data analysis
- Results
- Sociodemographic characteristics of study population
- Prevalence of HCV infection
- Factors associated with HCV infection
- Discussion
- Conclusion
- Recommendations
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This research aims to determine the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among pregnant women in a rural district of Egypt. The study also aims to identify factors associated with HCV infection in this population.
- Prevalence of HCV infection among pregnant women in a rural district of Egypt
- Sociodemographic characteristics of the study population
- Factors associated with HCV infection
- Implications for public health interventions
- Need for further research
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: This chapter provides an overview of the global burden of HCV infection, the risk factors for infection, and the specific challenges of HCV infection in Egypt. The chapter also highlights the importance of studying HCV prevalence among pregnant women in rural areas, where access to healthcare is often limited.
- Materials and methods: This chapter describes the study design, setting, population, data collection methods, and data analysis techniques employed in the research.
- Results: This chapter presents the findings of the study, including the prevalence of HCV infection, sociodemographic characteristics of the study population, and factors associated with HCV infection.
- Discussion: This chapter discusses the implications of the study findings in the context of existing literature and public health interventions. It also explores the limitations of the study and suggests directions for future research.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The key terms and focus topics of this text include hepatitis C virus (HCV), prevalence, pregnant women, rural Egypt, sociodemographic characteristics, risk factors, public health interventions, and further research.
- Quote paper
- Dr. Hossam Hassan Khamis (Author), Prof. Dr. Azza Galal Farghaly (Author), Prof. Dr. Hanan Zakaria Shatat (Author), Assistant Prof. Dr. Engy Mohamed El-Ghitany (Author), 2015, Prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection among pregnant women in a rural district in Egypt, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/293845
