Metabolic Syndrome Among Patients of Hepatitis C Presenting to a Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

Background and objectives: Hepatitis C has evolved to become a global pandemic, equally affecting
Pakistan as well. According to one WHO report the estimated prevalence of chronic hepatitis C is 1%
worldwide (71 million people) while Pakistan alone contributes more than 12 million people to this figure,
with Punjab reporting the highest prevalence of 6.7%. This infection does not only affect the Liver but also
produces extrahepatic manifestations in various organs like skin, blood, and gastrointestinal tract as well as
feads to many autoimmune conditions. There are many more linked to hepatitis but still remains unclear
hence in this study we aim o assess the frequency of metabolic syndrome and the distribution of'its features
among patients of hepatitis C.
Methods: Conducted from 01.08.2019 10 02.01.2020 at Sheikh Zayed Hospital Lahore this cross-sectional
study enrolled a total of 110 patients with hepatitis C presenting to the Outpatient Medicine Department.
After informed consent, the demographic profile was noted in the proforma. The blood pressure and BMI of
the patients were assessed using a standard protocol. A sample of 3ml of blood was taken for fasting lipid
profile. Information regarding the study variable was recorded in the proforma and confidentiality of the data
was ensured. SPSS was used to analyze the data.
Results: Of the total 110 hepatitis C patients enrolled, 54.5% were male, the mean age was 41.06 + 14.78 years
and the mean duration of having hepatitis C was 6.76 = 3.27 months. Metabolic syndrome was presentin 31.8%
of the total study participants. Further analysis revealed that metabolic syndrome was not significantly associated
with age (p-value=0.955). gender (p-value = 0.970), or duration of hepatitis C (p-value = 0.125).
Conclusion: Metabolic syndrome affects 1 in every 3 patients of Hepatitis C presenting to the tertiary care
hospital. Hence screening for metabolic syndrome must be performed among all patients suffering from
hepatitis C from an early disease period and all such patients must be educated regarding prevention and
control of this syndrome