SEROPREVALENCE OF HEPATITIS B AND C CO-INFECTION AMONG COHORT SEROPOSITIVE HIV PATIENTS ACCESSING HEALTHCARE IN NASARAWA STATE NORTH CENTRAL, NIGERIA. (Published)
The co-infection of hepatitis B and C viruses with HIV accelerates disease progression and also has an effect on the management of patients infected with HIV. The prevalence of HIV co-infection with hepatitis viruses varies widely. This study is planned to determine and evaluate the prevalence of hepatitis B and C co-infection among HIV patients accessing healthcare at federal Medical Center Keffi, Nasarawa State, Nigeria. A total of 200 sero- positive HIV patients participated in the study at the ART clinic of which blood samples collected from the patients were screened for HBV and HCV on the basis of the presence of HBsAg and anti-HCV markers. Socio-demographic information was collected by the use of a questionnaire. The study population comprises of 54(27%) males and 146 (73%) females, of these, 11% (22/200) were positive for HBV, 13.5% (27/200) were positive for HCV and 5% (10/200) were co-infected. The prevalence rates of hepatitis B and C co-infection among the HIV patients was insignificantly different (P>0.05) statistically for sex, ART status, Educational status, Marital status, Age, Occupation, CD4 Count, and socio-demographic factors. The prevalence rates of HBV and HCV co-infection are increasing in patients with HIV. Having acquired knowledge on the effect of HBV/HCV co-infection, it is essential that all HIV infected patients be screened for HBV and HCV infection.
Keywords: Antiretroviral, Co-infection, Hepatitis B Virus, Hepatitis C virus, Seropositive