A potential loophole in early diagnosis of the hepatitis B and hepatitis C

Pakistan is among the countries with high prevalence rates of Hepatitis B and C virus infections. Proper diagnosis of the disease is very crucial in combating with the high prevalence rates in a country. In Pakistan, numbers of diagnostic tests like Immuno-chromatography technique (ICT), enzyme linked immuno-sorbent assay (ELISA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are in use to demonstrate the presence of hepatitis in the subjects. In the present study, we used ICT, ELISA and PCR techniques and compared the sensitivity and specificity of these techniques in order to evaluate best suited method for local situations. Sensitivity analysis of these tests has shown that ICT has a low detection rate of positive cases in comparison with the ELISA and PCR based nucleic acid detection techniques. We suggest that ELISA and PCR should be used instead of ICT for screening purposes in hospitals, blood banks and diagnostic laboratories.