Prevalence of hepatitis C genotypes in patients with hepatitis C in Lorestan province (2009-2013)

Background: Determining hepatitis C genotypes is important to detect the various aspects of this infection, including its epidemiology, pathogenesis and response to anti-viral treatments. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of hepatitis C genotypes in patients admitted to the Infectious Diseases Clinic in Khorramabad.

Methods: Out of all the patients admitted to the Infectious Disease Clinic in Khorramabad in a four-year period (April 2009 to March 2013), 120 patients who met the inclusion criteria of the study were evaluated. The PCR method was used to examine the serums of the patients with hepatitis C in terms of the type of genotype.

Results: Out of 120 patients, 101 (84.2%) were male and 19 (15.8%) were female. The most prevalent genotypes were 3a (65%), 1a (24.2%), 1a/1b (5%), and 2 (1.7%), respectively. The genotypes of 5 patients (4.2%) could not be determined. No significant relationships were found between gender and genotype, and age group and genotype. Moreover, 18.3% of the patients were HIV-positive.

Conclusion: In this study, genotype 3a, the most prevalent genotype, was not consistent with the prevalent genotypes in Arab, European, American, and African countries. Furthermore, genotype 1a was the second most prevalent genotype, while it has been reported as the most prevalent genotype by numerous studies conducted in Iran.