The present survey provides a reasonable picture of the demographic features and clinical manifestations of Indian patients with IBD, their risk factors, course of disease, and the treatment given to them.

Seroprevalence of HBsAg in antenatal women was found to be 0.9%. HBe-antigen and HBV DNA positivity was associated with a higher chance of vertical transmission.

Histopathologic features of duodenal and jejunal mucosal biopsy specimens obtained from 58 patients with portal hypertension and 30 healthy volunteers were studied. Dilated mucosal vessels with thickened walls were seen in duodenal and jejunal biopsy specimens from 39 (67%) and 41 (71%) of the patients, respectively, compared with corresponding biopsy specimens from 8 (27%) and 6 (2%) of the control subjects. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant. Other important histologic features in the patient group included edema of the lamina propria, fibromuscular proliferation, a decreased villous/crypt ratio, and thickened muscularis mucosae. The mean +/- SD thickness of capillary wall and diameter were significantly more in the patient group compared with those in the control subjects. We conclude that thick-walled dilated vessels along with edema of the lamina propria, fibromuscular proliferation, a decreased villous/crypt ratio, and thickened muscularis mucosae form a characteristic picture of portal hypertensive enteropathy. These changes seem to be a part of the changes seen in the gastrointestinal tract of patients with portal hypertension without any meaningful clinical implication except the increased chance of occult gastrointestinal blood loss.

It is concluded that colonoscopy is a useful method for diagnosing colonic tuberculosis. It is suggested that if the clinical picture and colonoscopic appearance are suggestive of tuberculosis and target biopsies reveal non-caseating granulomas, a collection of loosely arranged epithelioid cells, or even non-specific changes, then a therapeutic trial of anti-tuberculous drugs should be given and continued if there is clinical improvement.

It is concluded that the prevalence of hemorrhoids is not increased in patients with portal hypertension. However, the prevalence of anorectal varices and colopathy is higher in these patients. Portal colopathy occurs more commonly in patients with large esophageal varices, those with gastric varices, and those who do not have anorectal varices.

No abstract

Globally, around 150 million people are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). India contributes a large proportion of this HCV burden. The prevalence of HCV infection in India is estimated at between 0.5% and 1.5%. It is higher in the northeastern part, tribal populations and Punjab, areas which may represent HCV hotspots, and is lower in western and eastern parts of the country. The predominant modes of HCV transmission in India are blood transfusion and unsafe therapeutic injections. There is a need for large field studies to better understand HCV epidemiology and identify high-prevalence areas, and to identify and spread awareness about the modes of transmission of this infection in an attempt to prevent disease transmission. ( J CLIN EXP HEPATOL 2014;4:106-116)

7.6% of Indian subjects have significant GERD symptoms. Consumption of non-vegetarian foods was an independent predictor of GERD. BMI was comparable among subjects with or without GERD.