Serological patterns of hepatitis B virus infection among people living with HIV in Ibadan, Nigeria

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a leading cause of liver pathology, which has remained a serious public health challenge in spite of the availability of hepatitis B vaccine discovered about 40 years ago. People living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV) are more at risk of hepatic problems as liver complications appear and progresses faster, owing to their immunocompromised status. This study seeks to determine HBV exposure, serological pattern, and HBV susceptibility among PLHIV. One hundred and fifty PLHIV were enrolled for the study. About 5 mL of blood was collected, processed, and tested for markers of hepatitis B virus: HBsAg, anti-HBs, HBeAg, anti-HBe, and anti-HBc. Twenty-eight (18.7%) had at least one serological marker while 122 (81.3%) tested negative to all the markers. The prevalence of HBsAg in this study was 8.7%, anti-HBs prevalence was 10%, while HBeAg was 2.7%, anti-HBe 6.0%, and anti-HBc 6.7%. Higher HBsAg, HBeAg, and anti-HBc prevalence were observed among the male participants with 13.9%, 5.6%, and 13.9%, respectively, while the female participants had more anti-HBs and anti-HBe of 1.8% and 6.1%, respectively. Age group 51-60 years had the highest prevalence of HBsAg (17.7%), HBeAg (11.8%), and anti-HBe (11.8%) while age group 31-40 years had the highest prevalence of anti-HBs (14.8%) and anti-HBe (9.8%). This study revealed the different serologic patterns of HBV infection among PLHIV and that susceptibility to HBV infection among PLHIV is high.

Hepatitis B virus infection among Nigerian pediatric population

Hepatitis B infection has continued to be a growing global health concern in spite of the discovery and administration of hepatitis B vaccines over the years. The focus of this study was to evaluate the burden of this infection among asymptomatic pediatric population. Children, who visited the hospital between March and August 2018, were recruited into this study. Blood samples were collected after obtaining informed consent. The samples were processed and screened for HBsAg. Data were analyzed using chi-square statistic. Six (2.9%) of the 206 children in the study were positive for HBsAg. A hundred (48.5%) of the children were males and 106 (51.5%) were females in the ratio 1:1.1 (male to female). More male tested positive (4%) (4/96) than their female counterparts (1.9%) (2/104)(x² = 0.813; p = .367). Age group 13-18 years had the highest infection rate 6.6% (4/57), followed by age group 5-12 years with 3.8% (2/50). No HBV detection was recorded among those below the age of 5 years. Patients with no vaccination history had a higher HBV infection rate (4.2%) compared with those who had been vaccinated (1.1%) (x² = 1.164; p = .281). The study showed that HBV infection is of intermediate endemicity among the study population, a reflection of the endemic status of the infection in Nigeria. Vaccination effort among children should be sustained and intensified. We advocate for a more intensive public enlightenment on the infection especially among women of marriageable age.