Prevalência de hepatites B e C em pacientes atendidos no Hospital Universitário Alcides Carneiro em Campina Grande, PB.

Abstract

Viral hepatitis is a major public health problem in Brazil and worldwide, representing the most important cause of liver disease. Hepatitis B is an infection caused by a virus (HBV) and occurs in about 350 million people worldwide. Many individuals infected with HBV do not know they are carriers and can spread the disease sexually. Hepatitis C is a major cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. There is great variation in the prevalence of infection by hepatitis C virus (HCV) according to geographic region studied. Estimates indicate that Brazil is a country with intermediate prevalence ranging from 1% to 3%. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of serological markers of hepatitis B and C in routine examinations of the molecular biology laboratory of the Hospital Alcides Carneiro in Campina Grande-PB. 1197 were analyzed patients of which 68 have already had contact with the Hepatitis B Virus, and 9 had the Anti-HCV reagent. The values of prevalence of serological markers were: 0.9% HBsAg, Anti-HBc 2.33%, 4.01% Anti-HBs and Anti-HCV 0.75%. Distribution of suspected cases of hepatitis B was higher among women, while in suspected cases of hepatitis C are predominantly male. Epidemiological surveillance of viral hepatitis aims to know the extent, trend and distribution by age and geographic areas of these infections, as well as notification, investigation and referral of cases to appropriate treatment.