Gurugram based CORE Diagnostics recently presented an internal study on Hepatitis using data from patients tested over a span of one year. Hepatitis is the inflammation of the liver leading to fibrosis, cirrhosis, or liver cancer. This study was conducted with the objective of raising awareness regarding the disease on the occasion of World Hepatitis Day.

As recorded by the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS), Government of NCT of Delhi, approx 5.2 crore people are suffering from Hepatitis B and C. Overall, 1.5 lakh people die annually due to this disease. Hepatitis B and C are transmitted via exposure to infected blood, with mother-to-child transmission as one of the most common causes. 

As part of the study, over 7500 tests conducted in the past year were analyzed. Where, 60 percent of the tested patients were found to be positive for hepatitis, indicating a high prevalence of the disease.

Another critical observation is the number of young adults falling prey to the disease. Close to 40 percent of patients that tested positive for hepatitis were from the age group of 19-30 years. Patients in the age category of 31-55 years were found to be the most vulnerable.