Risk Factors for Hepatitis C Virus Transmission Obscure in Nigerian Patients

Aim. To determine the prevalence of anti-HCV and risk factors associated with HCV infection in Nigerians. Materials and Method. Patients attending a general outpatient clinic were administered a structured questionnaire on the risk factors for HCV infection. They were also tested for anti-HCV using...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Olive Obienu, Sylvester Nwokediuko, Abraham Malu, Olufunmilayo A. Lesi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Hindawi Limited 2011-01-01
Series:Gastroenterology Research and Practice
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2011/939673
Description
Summary:Aim. To determine the prevalence of anti-HCV and risk factors associated with HCV infection in Nigerians. Materials and Method. Patients attending a general outpatient clinic were administered a structured questionnaire on the risk factors for HCV infection. They were also tested for anti-HCV using a third generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Result. The seroprevalence of anti-HCV was 4.7%. Among the risk factors evaluated, none was found to be significantly associated with anti-HCV seropositivity. Conclusion. The risk factors associated with HCV infection in Nigerian patients are obscure. This warrants further studies on the epidemiology of this important cause of liver disease.
ISSN:1687-6121
1687-630X