Hepatitis C and Typhoid Co-Epidemics in Covid-19 Era in Lahore, Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Research to Rule out Probable Relationelation
Keywords:
Hepatitis C, Typhoid, COVID-19, Co-epidemics, Lahore PakistanAbstract
Background: Infectious diseases, such as typhoid and hepatitis, alone pose significant challenges to public health in Pakistan. However, when they co-occur with COVID-19, they can intensify health complications and worsen overall outcomes.
Objective: To determine the prevalence of typhoid or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection with COVID-19.
Methods: In this cross-sectional survey, demographic data and blood specimens were collected from 199 randomly selected COVID-19 patients hospitalized at a private hospital in Lahore. D-dimer, ferritin, and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, as well as typhoid and HCV quick diagnostic tests were determined. Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis.
Results: Gender segregation of 199 patients revealed that 55% of COVID-19 patients were male and 45% were female. CRP and D-Dimer levels were increased in 132 (66.33%) patients, whereas serum ferritin levels were increased in 92 (46.23%) individuals. Typhoid was detected in 71 out of 199 patients, with 13 (18.3%) patients testing positive for IgM and 58 (81.7 %) patients testing positive for both IgM and IgG. D-dimer, CRP, and ferritin levels were elevated in COVID-19 patients with typhoid co-infection. Additionally, they were positively linked with age in COVID-19 patients with concurrent typhoid illness, with statistical significance (p<0.05). Similarly, 45 (22.6 %) of patients tested positive for HCV, although the results were not statistically significant (p>0.05).
Conclusion: Typhoid is frequent, while HCV seropositivity is low in COVID-19 patients. As patients’ age, D-dimer, ferritin, and CRP levels increase concurrently with disease severity and are strongly linked with one another.
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