A STUDY CONDUCTED FOR THE DETECTION OF HEPATITIS B VIRUS SEROPREVALANCE AND ASSOCIATED RISK FACTORS IN A TEACHING HOSPITAL MYSURU KARNATAKA

Objectives and Aim:We performed a study on Seroprevelance of HBVandassociated risk factors among the patients attending a tertiary care hospital in India. Background:Globally,Hepatitis B is one of the most common infectious diseases. It is ranked by the WHO as one of the top ten killers. The virus is responsible for approximately 1.5 million deaths worldwide in each year, two thirds of which are attributable to primary Hepatocellular carcinoma following HBV infection. About 360 million people are estimated to be chronically infected with HBV. Method --284 samples were positive for HBsAg by ELISA. Results-The seroprevalence of Hepatitis B infection in our study was 6%, associated with blood transfusion as the major risk factor.