Hyperhomocysteinemia in Patients with Chronic Viral Hepatitis C

Objective: To determine the incidence of hyperhomocysteinemia among patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV). Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted at Department of Medicine, Liaquat University Hospital Hyderabad from May to October 2023. Patients aged 20 to 60 years, both genders, who were known case of viral hepatitis C for duration of more than six months were enrolled. 2 ml venous blood sample was collected from each patients using sterilized disposable syringes and sent to the laboratory for serum homocysteine analysis and hyperhomocysteinemia was defined as serum homocysteine level >15 ?mol/L. Data were collected and entered in a pre-designed proforma attached at the end of dissertation. Results: A total of 121 patients were enrolled with a male preponderance (73.1%) and overall median age of 41 years. Hyperhomocysteinemia was observed in 66.9% patients with chronic Hepatitis C. None of the effect modifiers were observed to have a significant impact on the outcome variable i.e. presence of hyperhomocysteinemia (p->0.05). Conclusion: Hyperhomocysteinemia was found to be highly prevalent among patients with chronic hepatitis C, indicating it as a common metabolic abnormality in this population. This underscores the importance of routine homocysteine level screening to facilitate early detection and timely intervention, thereby potentially reducing the risk of subsequent complications.