World Hepatitis Day: Study says 31-55 age group most vulnerable

New Delhi: People in the age bracket of 31-55 years were found to be the most vulnerable group to hepatitis in an internal study conducted by a Gurgaon-based laboratory, and released on the occasion of World Hepatitis Day Tuesday.

CORE Diagnostics, a NABL-accredited clinical laboratory, recently conducted the study on hepatitis using data of over 7,500 patients tested over a span of 12 months.

Hepatitis is the inflammation of the liver leading to fibrosis (scarring), cirrhosis or liver cancer.

The study was conducted with the objective of raising awareness regarding the disease on the occasion of World Hepatitis Day, a statement from the laboratory said

Close to 40 per cent of the patients that tested positive for hepatitis were from the age group of 19-30 years, it said.

Patients in the age category of 31-55 years were found to be the most vulnerable with close to 45 per cent testing positive for the disease, it said.

As part of the study, over 7,500 tests conducted in the past one year were analysed, the laboratory said, adding approximately 60 per cent of those tested were found to be positive, indicating a high prevalence of hepatitis.

It said although a higher number of men (65 per cent) came in for hepatitis tests, an approximately equal percentage of men and women were found positive – 59 per cent and 57 per cent, respectively.