Prevalence of hepatitis B among people living with HIV in Bouaké, Côte D’ivoire

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection among people living with HIV (PLHIV) receiving care at the Bouaké University Teaching Hospital. This retrospective-prospective study involved 466 blood plasma samples collected from HIV-infected patients receiving antiretroviral therapy and being monitored at the Bouaké University Teaching Hospital. Plasma samples stored at −80°C were used to detect HBV serological markers (HBsAg, HBeAg, total anti-HBs, anti-HBe, and total anti-HBc) using rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), while hepatitis B virus DNA was detected by RT-qPCR. Patients' sociodemographic data were obtained from the laboratory database, OpenHelix, which is used exclusively for the follow-up of HIV-positive patients. These data were supplemented with the results of the diagnostic tests and analysed using STAT software version 15. Of the 466 plasma samples analysed, the prevalence of HBV infection was 6.86% (32/466). The HIV/HBV co-infection rate was 7.22% (24/332) among women and 5.97% (8/134) among men. The highest co-infection rates were observed among patients aged 40–49 years (7.82%) and those aged over 50 years (7.38%). The detection rates of the other serological markers were 27.02% (10/37) for HBeAg, 3.21% (15/466) for total anti-HBs, and 43.34% (202/466) for total anti-HBc. Total anti-HBs antibodies were detected at a statistically significantly higher rate in women (p < 0.05), whereas total anti-HBc antibodies were detected at a statistically significantly higher rate among patients aged over 40 years (p < 0.05). The findings of this study revealed a high prevalence of HBV infection among people living with HIV. These results underscore the need for systematic HBsAg screening in all PLHIV to facilitate early diagnosis and appropriate clinical management. Furthermore, the findings highlight the importance of strengthening HBV prevention strategies, including vaccination against HBV.

Keywords: Prevalence, co-infection, viral hepatitis B, HIV, Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire.

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