To determine the frequency of Hepatitis C Infection in patients with Ischemic Stroke at CMCH Larkana.

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the frequency of Hepatitis C infection in patients with ischemic Stroke at CMCH Larkana. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Medical wards of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University Larkana. Period: From January 2018 to December 2018. Material & Methods: This study was conducted on 125 diagnosed ischemic stroke patient with age >18 years or both genders. Patients with sudden history of partial or complete weakness of half the body persisting for more than 24 hours and clinical examination supporting reduced power and presence of focal sign and CT brain showing hypodense area in respected blood supply. Patients were considered suffering from Hepatitis C who were reactive to anti HCV on second generation ELISA. Results: We surveyed 125 patients admitted with clinical diagnosis of ischemic stroke after exclusion criteria with mean age of 54.53 ± 10.994. In this study male were 51.2% and female were 48.8%. About 40 (32% patients were anti HCV reactive. Conclusion: It is revealed that HCV infection significantly increased the risk of stroke.