ABSTRACT
Aim: Our aim was to survey the rate and risk factors for Hepatitis C virus interfamilial transmission among families withone index case
Background: The role of intrafamilial transmission in Hepatitis C virus epidemiology is still debated
Patients and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 34 families [236 members] of HCV infected patientsfrom Fars province, spring to summer 2013. All subjects were first evaluated for the risk factors of exposure and then theirserum was checked for the presence of HCV antibody and the genome, using ELISA and PCR. The genotype of all PCRpositive cases was also determined by a commercial assay. Two independent sample t test and Chi-Square test were used tocompare groups together
Results: In 18 out of 34 families, HCV antibody was detected [52.9%] in new members. Among them, HCV transmissionin 11 families [32%] was also confirmed by PCR. Having a history of intravenous drug abuse [P=0.006] and incarceration[P=0.01] showed to be important risk factors for interfamilial transmission. Hence, blade/needle sharing [P=0.016] justfollowing molecular assay and sex [P=036] only in the serologic analysis were also determined as significant risk factors.Furthermore, based on serologic results, medium socioeconomic state was further associated with this manner oftransmission [P=0.019 and P=0.328]. Interestingly, among relatives, 13 cases were brothers while just 5 cases werecouples. The genotypes 3a and 1a were more prevalent among the population
Conclusion: In conclusion, our finding highlighted a noticeable role of interfamilial transmission for HCV spread andsupports the significant role of close relatives, especially brother relationship in this spread. Hence, the socioeconomic statewas associated with the transmission rate of virus in the family
ABSTRACT
Inflammatory bowel diseases [IBD] are debilitating diseases that lead to a variety of problems in a patient's daily life and are a huge burden for the health care system. Since this group of diseases are multifactorial and complex, long-term longitudinal studies are clearly needed to understand them better. A population- based registry [IBD-FaR] has been established in Fars, a southern Iranian province, with the intent to create a reliable data source. This registry will be of considerable help in future planning of health care resources necessary to deal with IBD and to enable investigators to test their theories on the origin and/or treatment of IBD. This registry is managed by both the Gastroenterohepatology Research Center and Health Policy Research Center at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. A governing committee is responsible for decisions regarding budget allocations and use of data. The designed questionnaire includes a consent form, basic history data, risk factors, related procedures, medical therapy, and follow-up data. The establishment process has two parallel phases: in the first phase, data is collected from numerous sources, including annual hospital discharge data, referral from university affiliated physicians and private practices, pathologic reports, death certificates, self-referral, and insurance system data. In the interview, the questionnaire is completed and blood samples are taken. The gathered data are entered in a custom-designed, computerized data base. In the second phase, annual follow up interviews will be conducted. New IBD patients are also being registered. This phase will continue indefinitely, in order to include new incident cases. Briefly, from May 2011 until December 2011, there were 188 patients [94 [50%] females and 94 [50%] males] diagnosed with IBD who were registered in IBD-FaR. Patients' age range was between 15 and 80 years. A total of 164 [87.2%] patients out of 188 were registered as diagnosed with ulcerative colitis [UC] and 23 [12.2%] were registered as having Crohn's disease [CD]. Most patients 164 [87.2%] had negative family histories of IBD. By retrospective and prospective data collection methods, this central database of IBD cases can determine the incidence, prevalence, and demographic characters of IBD in a defined population. It can facilitate future research to identify etiology, disease process, new treatment options, factors affecting prognosis, recurrences, optimal health care, morbidity and mortality of IBD, and at last but not least, provide educational and social support for patients by educational materials and organizing nongovermental organizations [NGOs]