One in 50 residents prone to hepatitis B, finds survey

A recent study conducted in the City has revealed that one in every 50 Bangloreans may have hepatitis B and one in 200 may have hepatitis C.

Hepatitis B and C are potentially lethal, infectious diseases which attack the liver and, can lead to cirrhosis or cancer of the liver. According to Dr Mathew Jacob, senior consultant, BGS Global Hospitals, the potency of the diseases have been made more acute due to poor awareness and also because victims do not experience any symptoms during the early stages of infection.

“Around three crore people in India have chronic hepatitis B or C, this number being far higher than that of HIV and cancer,” he said.

Large sample of subjects

The survey, which was conducted only in Bangalore, involved young professionals, students and adults. Over 1,900 people were tested over a five-week period. According to Dr Kaise Raja, chief hepatologist, 54 per cent of the test subjects were males, 78 per cent were under the age of 40 and 37 per cent were children under the age of 15.

The study found that around the prevalence of hepatitis B among the subjects was 1.7 per cent, while Hepatitis C was 0.2 per cent. An interesting find, however, was the majority of those infected were males — around 64 percent.

According to Dr Sonal Asthana, head, Hepatobiliary Surgery and Multi Organ Transplantation, BGS Global Hospitals, the modes of infection must be first understood to see why men are largely susceptible.

“Hepatitis B and C are not transmitted through food or water,” he said. “They spreads through transfusion of infected  blood, contaminated needles and sexual transmission.

We think that the incidence is high in males because of the usage of unsterilised razors in barber shops, or tattoo parlours.”

Those in the age group of 20 to 40 showed the highest incidences of infection.

Worse in rural parts

The study team said that the incidence in rural Karnataka is higher. “We have read that at least 3-7 per cent of the population in Raichur, Belgaum and Bagalkot are infected, while other places have 1-2 per cent infected,” Asthana said.