ASSESSMENT OF RISK FACTORS FOR HEPATITIS C IN REPRODUCTIVE LIFE OF WOMEN: A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL BASED STUDY FROM QUETTA, BALOCHISTAN – PAKISTAN

Background and Objectives: To assess the risk factors for hepatitis C in reproductive life of women at tertiary care hospitals at Quetta Pakistan. Methodology: A case control study has been conducted at two tertiary care hospitals of Quetta in 2014. Total 316 (158 in each cases and control) women were included in the study. The written consent was taken from the women with reproductive age from 15 – 49 years of age. Respondents from both cases and control suffering from HBV infection, co-infection and dual infection with HCV and HBV were excluded from the study. Data was coded, entered and analyzed by using SPSS. To asses bivariate associations between HCV seropositivity and potential risk factors like sociodemographic characters, past medical history and factors related to obstetrical history, odds ratio (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed by logistic regression. Results: The thirteen variables logistic regression model shown the injections in the past year (OR 1.96, CI 1.22 – 3.15), injections last 5 years (OR 1.61, CI 1.14 – 2.28), injections at unregistered place (OR 3.81, CI 1.98 – 7.34), subjects lived with jaundice in house hold (OR 2.50, CI 1.39 – 4.47), personal jaundice (OR 1.90, CI 1.05 – 3.42) were positively associated with being HCV – positive. While family income (OR 0.59, CI 0.39 – 0.87), history of previous surgeries (OR 0.37 CI 0.19 – 0.72) was associated negatively. Conclusions: Study concluded that irrational use of injections by non-trained health professionals, family income and women who had contact or living with jaundice patients were found highly significant factors for developing the hepatitis C infection. Thus, reducing the overuse of unnecessary injections would be a major step towards reducing transmission of HCV among women.